RJ Hampton’s one shining moment will have to come overseas.
Hampton, a top-five recruit who reclassified into the Class of 2019, announced Tuesday he won’t be playing college basketball. Instead of accepting a scholarship offer from one of his finalists — Kansas, Texas Tech and Memphis — Hampton will compete for the New Zealand Breakers of Australia’s National Basketball League.
According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givnoy, Hampton — a 6-foot-5 guard from Little Elm, Texas, north of Dallas — is the first American player to willingly forgo college to play overseas. Others, such as Brandon Jennings and Emmanuel Mudiay, had concerns over eligibility or amateur status before opting to skip college basketball.
“My No. 1 goal is to play in the NBA,” Hampton said Tuesday morning on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “I wanted to be an NBA player before I ever wanted to be a college player. This is about getting ready for the next level faster and more efficiently.
“Both of my parents went to college. My mom got her master’s degree. Education is a big thing in our family, but this is about focusing 100 percent on basketball. You can always go back to college, but there’s only a short window as an athlete where you can play professional basketball, and I want to take advantage of that. I think that challenging yourself on a daily basis is the best way to improve.”
Hampton’s multiyear deal with the NBL will include NBA out clauses. ESPN projects him as the No. 6 pick in the 2020 draft. He was the No. 5 recruit in 247Sports.com’s Class of 2019 composite rankings.
2019 MLive.com, Walker, Mich.
Visit MLive.com, Walker, Mich. at www.mlive.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
