Jalen Green鈥檚 prep school coach believes more high-end talent will forgo college for the G League
NAPA, Calif. (BVM) 鈥� Nothing about Jalen Green is traditional.
The consensus 铿乿e-star recruit and No. 1 player in the Class of 2020 is perhaps the most well-known prep athlete in the country with nearly one million followers on Instagram. Following a three-year run at San Joaquin Memorial High School 鈥� where he averaged 26.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and three assists per game 鈥� Green transferred to Proli铿乧 Prep for his senior season.
Proli铿乧 Prep was founded in 2014 and, according to its website, the basketball academy is the 铿乺st of its kind. The academy provides a unique opportunity for talented student-athletes to be immersed in an environment of intense basketball training while taking classes with its educational partner, Napa Christian.
Simply put, Proli铿乧 Prep is 鈥渁 factory for basketball鈥� that has helped Green and other hoopers reach their full potential.
鈥淭he biggest di铿�erence between normal high school and a prep school like Proli铿乧 Prep or Montverde or IMG is the exposure, access to be able to work out multiples times a day and take their game to, quote, unquote, 鈥榯he next level,鈥欌�� Proli铿乧 Prep head coach Joey Fuca said.
Proli铿乧 Prep plays the majority of its prep circuit schedule in di铿�erent states and brings in top talent from all over the country. Chief among this pool of talent is Green, who averaged 31.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 铿乿e assists per game and led his team to a 31-3 record during the 2019-20 season.
The 6-foot-5 guard鈥檚 senior campaign earned him Sports Illustrated All-American Player of the Year honors and left a major impression on Fuca after just one season.
鈥淛alen just operates at a di铿�erent level, processes the game at a di铿�erent speed and has a di铿�erent approach to the game than a regular 17-year-old,鈥� Fuca said. 鈥淗e has an approach to the game that is unlike anyone else I have seen. He鈥檚 the 铿乺st one in the gym, he鈥檚 constantly asking for more work and that鈥檚 the type of kid he is.
鈥淛alen is on a mission,鈥� Fuca added. 鈥淗e鈥檚 very driven to get where he wants to go for him and his family.鈥�
Green鈥檚 mission will not take place at any of the handful of Division I programs who courted him. The senior received o铿�ers from the likes of Kansas and Kentucky and narrowed his decision to a 铿乶al pair of Memphis and Auburn, but that route is too traditional for Green.
In April, Green announced his decision to bypass college and become the NBA professional pathway鈥檚 铿乺st participant. The reshaped program is a G League initiative that will pay prospects $500,000-plus and provide a one-year development program separate from the minor league鈥檚 traditional team structure. Fuca said Green is in a much di铿�erent situation than most athletes, and because of that, this move makes perfect sense for the prep star.
Coming in at No. 2 in our final 2020 rankings is G-League () bound Jalen Green
"His overall skills have caught up to his elite athleticism" —
See our full list of updating five-stars here:
— Rivals (@Rivals)
鈥淭he G League, with its expansion and 铿乶ancial backing, I think is really the opportunity he (Green) was looking for,鈥� Fuca said. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 want to go all the way across the pond (to play professionally overseas) and he was entertaining college, but I just think at the end of the day, he liked the fact that he could stay closer to home, play at the next level, workout multiple times a day and prepare for his ultimate goal of playing in the NBA.鈥�
Just a day after Green鈥檚 announcement, another blue-chip recruit decided to follow the same path. Isaiah Todd, the No. 13 player in the 2020 ESPN 100, decommitted from Michigan and con铿乺med that he鈥檒l also join the G League鈥檚 professional pathway program.
Fuca said he has no doubt that more elite prep athletes will choose this route in the future.
鈥淭his is just the start,鈥� Fuca said. 鈥淚 think the NCAA is going to be in a tough spot because there鈥檚 kids that are looking at going to college for eight months as 鈥榃hy would we do that if we can make more money and play at the professional level?鈥� That鈥檚 what works for these kids the best and I think we鈥檒l see a lot more kids doing it.鈥�
