270 Opinion: The Prep School Decision
Two of the area's top players recently decided to leave Central Ohio and go the prep school route. What is gained? What is lost?
COLUMBUS, OH - There is no shortage of talent with the current batch of high school players in the area, but the scene took a recent hit when two of the more notable names made the decision to leave their hometowns behind in search of greener pastures elsewhere, in the form of an out-of-state prep school.
At the beginning of August, former Westerville South senior guard Kruz McClure announced he would spend his senior season at the DME Academy at St. John’s Northwestern in Delafield, Wisconsin. Four days later, the 2024 district player of the year announced his commitment to DePaul University for his future college of choice.
Last Friday, just three days into the school year, former Northland junior guard King Kendrick addressed the Vikings student body that he would be taking his talents to Caldwell Academy in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Both players, at least publicly, shared their decisions were based on the opportunity to grow their game and be prepared for the next level. McClure told Dave Purpura of The Columbus Dispatch that his decision was to “start getting physically ready to make an impact at the next level” and that “DME has some great plans to get me mentally and physically ready for college.”
Kendrick told a similar reasoning to Frank DiRenna, also of Dispatch, that “the main goal is to play basketball at the next level and getting to the pro level. I feel I have a better opportunity because North Carolina is the hoops state and I’m playing against some elite competition.”
When you look at the national recruitment rankings, it’s understandable for a next-level prospect to believe a stint at an academy is a necessity to achieve the goal of being a top college player and future pro. A look at 247Sports top 25 rankings is filled with players that attend various academies and prep schools.
In a culture where it’s emphasized for a player to achieve their ultimate dream of playing professional basketball, one must eat, sleep and play basketball constantly. Grind and repeat. What better way to go through that process than a high school experience that is solely dedicated to basketball?
That certainly can be the needed step, especially for those that hover in the top 10 of national rankings. The Cooper Flaggs, the AJ Dybantsas and the Darryn Petersons of the world, which there are very few, could all realistically make an NBA roster right now. You can call them the 1% of the 1%. An 18-year old that is ready for the NBA really only comes around in Ohio maybe once every decade (for the record, Peterson is that once in a decade player).
But let’s zoom in locally and take a look at the players in recent memory from Central Ohio that have made professional basketball dreams a reality. After they both earned All-American status at Ohio State and Michigan, respectively, Northland’s finest Jared Sullinger and Trey Burke spent a combined 14 seasons in the NBA.
Out of Pickerington Central, Jae’Sean Tate and Caris LeVert are both still in the midst of lucrative NBA careers. Last summer, Taevion Kinsey (Eastmoor Academy) and this summer, Philip Alston (Westerville North), both signed NBA two-way deals.
For all of those players, the presence of a prep school or academy throughout their journey is completely absent.
On the flip side, there have been a handful of recent local players who have transferred prep. By the time they graduated and picked a college, it was at a school from the exact same level they were already projected prior to their prep school enrollment.
In other words, not much changed in their development and especially their recruitment.
It’s easy to see the allure of a prep school. The college-like facilities, the challenge of stronger competition and maybe the occasional game on ESPNU. But at what cost?
No player ever hopes to reach their peak in high school, of course. But lost in the destination of getting to the “next level,” is understanding the impact and legacy a player can make in the present. The memories and chatter provided for family, friends and the community. There’s also the added pressure of playing in front of peers and against rivals, with emotional stakes and bragging rights on the line.
Ask anyone that grew up on the East Side in the 90s about Estaban Weaver and they’ll tell you they saw the LeBron James before the actual LeBron James ever suited up for Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary.
Despite the Schottenstein Center having a capacity just short of 19,000, damn near everyone in Columbus was somehow at that St. Vincent-St.Mary game where the superstar James took on a fearless, talent-packed Brookhaven team with an unforgettable ending that everyone still tells to this day despite taking place over 20 years ago.
The previously mentioned Sullinger and Burke still give the city much pride when the Vikings hoisted the Division I state championship trophy in 2009 and attract a celebrity-like presence when they step foot in any local gym.
Kaleb Wesson had a decorated three-year career at Ohio State and is currently playing professionally overseas, but it’s the state championship he won with his brother Andre at Westerville South in 2016 that gets brought up more than anything else.
After Devin Royal won a state championship for Pickerington Central, followed by a Mr. Ohio award the next season, Royal can now return to any Pickerington school and be greeted by a throng of students. His presence is a reminder that they too can grow up in Pickerington and achieve great things.
It’s worth mentioning that at 270 Hoops, of course we have a bias towards high school hoops. Since Zach Fleer and Jason Morrow launched the company nearly ten years ago, we’ve seen how high school basketball can positively change lives and communities.
It’s also worth emphasizing that sometimes a transfer to prep school has personal, private, non-basketball reasons. We aren’t entitled to know everything off the court and we should be respectful of what is best for a family. Furthermore, there’s a growing emphasis on NIL opportunities at the high school level which Ohio can’t offer. Though it bares mentioning that currently, these NIL deals seem to be mostly reserved for the blue chip recruits.
To wrap this up, let’s take a look at the incoming freshman duo at Ohio State, which is a scholarship class of two players; John Mobley Jr. and Colin White.
Mobley, a Central Ohio native, never stepped foot on a varsity court in the Columbus area. For the first three years of high school, he moved to Las Vegas to play for Bishop Gorman, a private prep school. His senior year, he transferred to Wasatch Academy, a boarding school in Utah.
By all means, Mobley had an outstanding high school career. He was named the Utah Max Preps player of the year, led Wasatch to a number 8 national ranking and finished his recruitment ranking at 43 in the 2024 class by the 247 composite ranking.
White hails from Ottawa, Ohio, a town that hovers just under 5,000 in population and was a starter on four consecutive state final four teams at Ottawa-Glandorf high school, which included two state championship appearances. He was named Mr. Ohio in 2024 and was a top 125 recruit in the 2024 class.
Both Mobley and White had wildly different journeys, but have ultimately ended up at the exact same destination.
And while Mobley may come in with the higher ranking, the select national TV appearances (albeit in front of mostly empty stands) he returns to his hometown without much of an imprint. For most area fans, they’ve largely just “heard” good things and are excited to get their first glimpse when he suits up for the Scarlet & Gray.
Whereas no matter what happens next in White’s career, he’ll forever be a folk hero in Ottawa and greater Northwest Ohio. He’ll have a high school he can return to that has multiple banners of feats he accomplished with his hometown friends and it’s only a matter of time until a jersey of his own is hung in the rafters as well. His legacy in those parts will live forever.
The start of a college career is the beginning of a new chapter. There are many unknowns of what can happen next for any player once they move on from the high school ranks.
But when the years ultimately pass and the community reflects on that initial chapter, in White’s book, he’ll have countless games and moments that will spark proud, fond memories of his legacy. Stories that family, teammates and friends will be able to share and hold forever.
At Prep, it’s nice to make the brochure of “notable alums” to assist the efforts to land their next prized recruit.
Written by 270 Hoops staff writer Greg Glasser
Great insight and a well written article.