NBA
DeAndre Ayton’s Path To The 2018 NBA Draft
Nassau, Bahamas native, DeAndre Ayton became a basketball phenom during his freshmen and sophomore year at Balboa City School of San Diego, California. The seven-footer led his team to a 17-14 record in the 2014-15 season averaging a double-double.
Continuing into the summer, Ayton overwhelmed the AAU Under Armor Circuit in California with his God-given basketball ability. He averaged double figures in points and rebounds during the competition before deciding to transfer to Hillcrest Prep Academy in Phoenix, Arizona.
DeAndre’s talents continued to manifest when he teamed up with another top prospect in Marvin Bagley III at Hillcrest. The big man’s points per game went from 21 to 29.2 in his junior year, and he led Hillcrest to a 33-6 record in his final year as an upperclassman.
The Big Man Has Always Been A Top Prospect
ESPN considered Ayton the top high school recruit in College Basketball’s 2017 recruiting class. Kansas was Ayton’s original choice, but when the smoke settled, Kentucky and Arizona found themselves on his list.
Kansas and Kentucky were the front-runners in the DeAndre Ayton sweepstakes, but the University of Arizona came out the winner. Aston says “because his family would benefit by being able to see his games.”
The 2017 number one college basketball recruit made his debut as a Wildcat against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. Ayton averaged a double-double, a stat he would record 34 times in the season. The 7’1″ big man would earn multiple awards as a freshmen Wildcat to include the Karl Malone award. Ayton scored the most points and snatched the most rebounds by a freshmen ever recorded by Arizona.
The 2018 NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is full of surprises, but the one thing that wasn’t a surprise was Ayton getting selected number one overall to the Phoenix Suns, even to himself. DeAndre says, “Having all that confidence, I was just waiting for my name.”
With all the celebration, the one pleasant surprise came when the two Hillcrest Prep teammates went 1 and 2 in the first round. Congrats to Deandre Ayton and Marvin Bagley III.
