DeAndre Ayton is 7 feet tall, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2017 and the potential No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
You would think a slew of elite programs would be recruiting him at this point.
But Ayton told reporters at the Nike EYBL stop in Indianapolis that only one school is recruiting him seriously at this point.
“Right now, it’s Kansas. That’s it,” Ayton told Kyle Tucker of the Louisville Courier-Journal on Friday. “I’m only seeing Kansas right now. I don’t know (why). The word is I’m not going to college or something, but I say college is a must.”
Ayton’s comments echo what he said last week in New York.
Kentucky and Duke, which he had previously mentioned, are not on him. Just Kansas, which has tracked him through the first two EYBL sessions.
“Kentucky, I think right now they’re mediocre with me in their interest,” he said. “It don’t matter to me. Whoever comes, comes. Look into it and figure something out. I really don’t care who ain’t recruiting me, to be honest. I’m just going to stay on top of my game and try to get better.”
Ayton, a native of the Bahamas, said he doesn’t plan to skip college for the pros and instead wants to attend college.
“I have to go to college,” Ayton said. “My mom wants me to go to college.”
Buddy Hield, also a Bahamian, said at the Final Four that Ayton could play in the NBA right now.
“He’s special right now,” Hield said of Ayton, a big man born in the Bahamas who now plays for Phoenix (AZ) Hillcrest Academy. “I think he’s good for the NBA now. His physical talents he can rebound the ball. He’s just a talent, man. You just can’t teach height.”
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2016-04-23T18:31:26-0400DeAndre Ayton Says Only Kansas is Recruiting Him
