Breaking Down Darius Bazley’s Decision: Syracuse’s Loss Is G League’s Gain

The searing scowl of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim—hypothetical, but no less real—seared its way into basketball brains across America on Thursday, as Darius Bazley, a five-star recruit who was committed to the Orange, became the first five-star high school prospect to forgo college in favor of the NBA’s G League. Currently finishing his senior year at Princeton High School in the Cincinnati area, Bazley played in the McDonald’s All-American game and is also ticketed for the Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic in the weeks to come. Those opportunities to be evaluated up close by team decision-makers are now that much weightier.

With the conversation surrounding the league’s age limit and its…