Princeton (Cincinnati, Ohio) senior Darius Bazley has decommitted from Syracuse and is opting to play in the NBA G-League (the NBA’s official minor league), according to Yahoo Sports.
“This is a life-changing decision,” Bazley told Yahoo Sports. “I put a lot of thinking into this with my mom and close circle, especially sitting down with her. It’s just like making the decision to which college you want to go to. Me and her did some talking, and I prayed on it. I talked to my high school coach, Steve, who played overseas, and then I talked to a couple of guys in the G League who have experience.
“Ultimately, playing professional basketball has always been my dream. It’s always going to be the dream goal, always going to be the goal until I achieve it. This is going to put me one step closer to doing so.”
In last night’s McDonald’s All-American Game at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Bazley had 11 points and 7 rebounds in 17 minutes of play as his West squad beat the East 131-128. Less than 24 hours later he announced his decision to bypass college.
Less than a year ago, Bazley decommitted from Ohio State and then-coach Thad Matta. He signed his letter-of-intent with Syracuse last November. Fans of the Orange anxiously anticipated his McDonald’s game performance and what he would bring to Jim Boeheim’s squad and the ACC.
The 6-9, 205-pound forward was recently Greater Miami Conference Player of the Year for Princeton and Division I All-State First Team. Bazley averaged 15.3 points per game and led the GMC in rebounds (10.5), assists (3.8) and blocks (2 per game).
USA TODAY High School Sports contributed to this report
