THE sporting world stopped in the light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and the top high school recruits in the US weren't spared.
It's the reality that Jalen Green, the top-ranked high school recruit in the US who's of Filipino descent, is looking at as he missed out after various high school basketball showcases were cancelled.
In an interview with The Undefeated, the 6-foot-6 high-flyer expressed his disappointment as his batch won't have the chance to strut their stuff in front of college and NBA scouts.
"We are the best class that was going to be in these games," he said. "We have a lot of players in this 2020 class who really do it all. We are close with each other. Our chemistry is down. It would have been fun and exciting games.
"At the same time, we battle. It would have been exciting."
Green is one of the most highly-touted prospects in the US with his play for Prolific Prep while also attending Napa Christian High School in California.
He's already had recruitment visits with Division I schools Kentucky, Memphis, Auburn, and Oregon.
Green has also secured an invite to the McDonald's All-American, and was poised to play in the Jordan Brand Classic and the Nike Hoop Summit - showcases for the best high school players in the US.
That, however, was before the pandemic forced the organizers to scrap the events altogether.
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Initially, he was also set to come to the Philippines for the third straight year in the 2020 Chooks-to-Go NBTC National Finals before FilAm Sports ultimately decided to skip the tourney. The national high school basketball tournament was tentatively rescheduled to April 20 to 26 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Tough as the quandary was, Green said that the sudden development with the virus outbreak only motivates him to work harder.
"Those were supposed to showcase how hard we were working with all the top players in the country," he said. "That is just going to make me work harder."
Source: Spin PH
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