Thon Maker

Thon Maker
Personal information
Born (1997-02-25) 25 February 1997
Sudan (now South Sudan)
Nationality Australian / Sudanese
Listed height 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight 218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school Carlisle School (Martinsville, Virginia)
Orangeville Prep (Orangeville, Ontario)
Position Power forward / Center

Thon Maker (born 25 February 1997) is a Sudanese-Australian basketball player who is currently attending high school at Orangeville District Secondary School and playing basketball for Canada's Athlete Institute. He previously attended Carlisle School in Martinsville, Virginia. At 7'1", Maker is considered a five-star recruit by most basketball recruiting services.[1][2][3]

Early life

Maker was born in a village in what is now South Sudan. His uncle, a local administrator, arranged for Maker, his younger brother, Matur, and his aunt to escape the civil war to Uganda when Maker was five. From there, they were accepted as refugees by Australia; they then moved to Perth, Western Australia, where the family eventually settled down.[4]

When he was 14, Maker was discovered by Edward Smith, an Australian of African-American heritage who helps children from migrant backgrounds receive opportunities they otherwise wouldn't get. Smith had previously helped fellow Sudanese immigrants Ater Majok and Mathiang Muo. Playing soccer at the time he was discovered, Smith offered his aunt to feed, clothe and educate Maker in Sydney. In Sydney, Maker played basketball for the St. George Basketball Association during 2011, where he dominated on the court and subsequently made friends off it. However, just before the team's playoffs, Maker and Smith left to attend a talent camp in Texas.[4]

High school career

Once in the United States, Maker attended two schools in Louisiana, including Metairie Park Country Day School,[5] before finally settling down at Carlisle School in Martinsville, Virginia.[4] During his freshman and sophomore years playing for Carlisle's varsity team, Maker averaged 22.2 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 4.5 blocks over a total of 53 games.[6]

On 5 September 2014, Maker and his brother enrolled at the Athlete Institute in Mono, Ontario where Edward Smith was already an assistant coach. In conjunction with the Athlete Institute, the brothers enrolled at Orangeville District Secondary School in the nearby town of Orangeville.[7]

On 18 February 2015, Maker announced his decision to reclassify into the 2015 class, which would have made 2014–15 his final year of high school.[8][9] He later participated in the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon.[10][11] Playing alongside fellow Australian Ben Simmons in the April 11 game, Maker recorded 10 rebounds, two points and one block as the World Team defeated Team USA, 103–101.[12]

On 18 June 2015, Maker announced his decision to remain in the Class of 2016, and returned to Orangeville Prep for the 2015–16 season. Maker noted how stressful it was working toward entering the Class of 2015, with the issue centered on his workload and the pressure with "trying to get it all done at once".[13] He was being recruited by Arizona State, Florida State, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Notre Dame, St. John's and UNLV.[14]

On 3 April 2016, Maker declared his intentions to enter the 2016 NBA draft, a decision that required a ruling from the NBA to determine his eligibility.[15] To skip a year of college, Maker had to convince the NBA he graduated from Orangeville Prep in 2015. He successfully did so, proving he graduated from high school in 2015 but stayed another year as a post-graduate student by his own choosing, fulfilling both the minimum age and one year removed requirements to the NBA's satisfaction. With a successful ruling, Maker is set to become just the second player in more than a decade to make the leap from high school in North America straight to the draft,[16] since the NBA introduced the "one-and-done" rule in 2005.[17][18]

Personal

Maker's parents, who descend from the Dinka people, still live in South Sudan[4] and are also both extremely tall; his father is 203 cm (6'8") and his mother 190 cm (6'3").[19] His brother, Matur, is a top recruit for the 2017 class.[20] His cousin, Makur, currently attends West Hills Chaminade Prep School in Los Angeles.[21]

References

  1. ↑ "Thon Maker". Rivals.com. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "Thon Maker". 247Sports.com. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  3. ↑ Bedore, Gary (23 February 2015). "Jaylen Brown will take his time; Thon Maker details visit to KU". KUSports.com. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Sygall, David (11 August 2013). "Refugees escaping war are aiming for the stars". SMH.com.au. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  5. ↑ Roser, Jerit (26 April 2016). "Former Country Day standout Thon Maker joins Ben Simmons in ESPN's latest NBA mock draft". NOLA.com. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Thon Maker's Basketball Stats". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  7. ↑ Biancardi, Paul (5 September 2014). "Thon Maker heading to Canada". ESPN.com. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  8. ↑ Borzello, Jeff (18 February 2015). "Thon Maker plans to reclassify". ESPN.com. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  9. ↑ Vecenie, Sam (18 February 2015). "Top recruit Thon Maker set to graduate, reclassify into Class of 2015". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  10. ↑ Vecenie, Sam (11 March 2015). "World Team roster announced for 2015 Nike Hoop Summit". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  11. ↑ Uluc, Olgun (12 March 2015). "Simmons, Maker and Wynyard named to 2015 Nike Hoop Summit World Team". PickAndRoll.com.au. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  12. ↑ Vecenie, Sam (11 April 2015). "World Team beats USA in Nike Hoop Summit behind Murray's 30". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  13. ↑ Dauster, Rob (18 June 2015). "Thon Maker to remain in the Class of 2016". NBCSports.com. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  14. ↑ "Thon Maker – Basketball Recruiting – Player Profiles". ESPN.com. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  15. ↑ Wells, Adam (3 April 2016). "Thon Maker Will Declare for 2016 NBA Draft: Latest Comments and Reaction". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  16. ↑ Blakely, A. Sherrod (2 May 2016). "GAUGING THE STOCK OF THON MAKER, THE NBA DRAFT'S MYSTERY MAN". CSNNE.com.au. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  17. ↑ Eisenberg, Jeff (14 April 2016). "Thon Maker being ruled draft-eligible highlights potential loophole". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  18. ↑ "Thon Maker ruled eligible for NBA Draft, US media give early verdict on Australian phenom's prospects". FoxSports.com.au. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  19. ↑ Bednall, Jai (22 October 2014). "Thon Maker, Australian basketball prospect, is a 7-footer that plays like a guard". News.com.au. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  20. ↑ "Matur Maker". NBADraft.net. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  21. ↑ Sondheimer, Eric (25 August 2015). "Boys' basketball: 6-11 freshman Makur Maker enrolls at Chaminade". LATimes.com. Retrieved 13 September 2015.

External links

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