Aussie Hoops America: Ater Majok Has Pick of U.S. Colleges

Ater Majok Has Pick of U.S. Colleges
The Daily Telegraph
www.news.com
28 Mar 2008
AT a towering 208cm and still growing, Sudanese refugee Ater Majok is on the way up in the world of basketball.
The high school student from Blacktown, in western Sydney, has sprouted a few centimetres taller in the last couple of months and is currently the most hotly recruited "big" on the US college scene.
Just back from the US, where some commentators said if he had been American he would rank among their top-10 high school players this year, Majok will shortly return to play in the invitation-only adidas Derby Classic on April 19 at the University of Louisville in Kentucky.
"Last year the Classic all-star game drew 10,000 but organisers are expecting up to 17,000, based on the fact Ater has been recruited by the University of Kentucky and they want to show him some love so that he might commit to Kentucky," Majok's coach Edward Smith said yesterday on his return to Sydney.
The process of selecting a university for Majok seems to have taken an eternity, with just about every major basketball program in the US wooing the versatile forward.
"It's exciting - and so important," Smith said of the recruiting process which, in Majok's case, has been conducted in reverse of the norm because he is the talk of the court and can choose to play wherever he wants to.
"The kid has a legitimate shot at the League (the NBA).
"Ater has taken the decision to wait this long (the NCAA late-signing period runs from April 15 to May 15) to see which coaches will stay with the program and which players will stay, rather than transfer to another school or leave for the NBA Draft."
Majok is excited about breaking into the Derby Classic because it includes a three-point shooting event, dunk contest, a two-on-two competition and culminates in an all-star game involving the best high school players in the US. Last year's Derby Classic MVP, Michael Beasley (Kansas State), is predicted to be No. 1 pick for the 2008 NBA Draft. Full Story