NBA Academies Shine at NPSI
EBS Scouting's Jordan Davidsen recaps the NBA Academies from the National Prep School Invitational
PROVIDENCE, RI - As the game of basketball develops, more and more avenues for young athletes are popping up everywhere. In the modern age, this is not true of JUST the United States. While the U.S. is still the epicenter of the global game, new opportunities for growth and exposure are showing up for international players constantly. One of the most prominent examples is the development of the NBA Academies, an “elite basketball development initiative that provides top high school-age prospects from outside the U.S. with a holistic approach to player development and a predictable pathway to maximize their potential (NBA Academy website).” This month, 3 of the 4 NBA Academy teams participated in the National Preparatory Showcase Invitational at Rhode Island College in Providence, RI. While the teams are of course an interesting example of the new opportunities available to international players, they are something far more important than that: really, really good.
NBA GLOBAL GOES OFF
The first of the competing teams were the NBA Global Academy. Based in Canberra, Australia, the team features a diverse roster of players from Australia, Brazil, China, England, Italy, Japan, Qatar, and Romania. The team was pitted against Bradford Christian, a highly-ranked prep school from Massachusetts headlined by Northwestern commit Jordan Clayton, Maine commit Isaac Bonilla, and 2024 standouts Kur Teng and George Turkson. The game was a hard-fought battle, but ultimately, the Global Academy’s size and hot shooting start led the Academy to a win, 75-65. The Global Academy is headlined by Johnny Furphy, a 6-7 senior with the ability to score both inside and outside. He’s a reliable shooter, a solid athlete, and an all-around glue guy for a team with a lot of raw talent. He was recognized with a nod to the All-Tournament team. Another standout for Global Academy is 16-year-old Rocco Zitarsky. Standing at 7-3, Zikarsky is surprisingly mobile for his size with great shot-blocking instincts. With collegiate eligibility starting in 2025, Zikarsky turned heads with his fluid play and insane size. Asia is well represented on the team, as Japan’s Akira Jacobs and China’s Junjie Wang were electric perimeter shooters with great size and defensive instincts. In terms of pure talent, there’s an argument that every player on this team could easily play Division 1 basketball. They’re a well-coached, well-developed team with the ability to hurt you from every position.
NBA AFRICA AMAZES
The arguably more intriguing team, NBA Africa had a few more scoring woes but ultimately blossomed in their win over local St. Andrew’s Academy and Memphis-native Jaxon Toney. With an average height of almost 6-7, the Academy has the physical traits and intensity that college programs look for. The star of the bunch is undoubtedly Thierry Darlan, a 6-6 shooting guard with unlimited range, intangible energy, and the heart of a champion. The 2023 guard has offers from a collection of high-major universities like Arizona, as well as the opportunity to join the G League’s Ignite next year. He took home the Most Outstanding Player award for the tournament. Other standouts include All-Tournament Team selection Dramane Camara, athletic sophomore Modou Thiam, and gifted big man Khadim Mboup. The Senegal-based team is just full of talent and will inevitably produce some high-level college players.
NBA LATIN AMERICA LOOKS LEGIT
The NBA Latin America team has some serious talent that will make waves in college basketball next year. Despite the tough loss to McDonald’s All-American Elmarko Jackson and South Kent, a couple of the squad’s standouts turned heads from college coaches in the building. Canada-born Jaiden Cole was the most impressive performer on the squad. The Towson commit is an aggressive downhill scorer with the ability to finish over defenders of all types. His stock rose significantly with his performance and he looks like he will be an immediate contributor to Towson next season. Other standouts were big men Thomas Ndong and Chris Tadjo. This cast of international prospects showed their prowess despite the loss at the hands of one of the best prep schools in the country.
These teams are some of the best collections of high school-level talent in the world. Keep an eye on these talented rosters, as they will produce some of the best professional and collegiate players of the next generation.