Cretin-Derham Hall senior Daniel Oturu received a message last week from someone representing LaVar Ball, the entrepreneur and flamboyant father of Los Angeles Lakers star Lonzo Ball.
Ball is attempting to launch the Junior Basketball Association, a league that wants to give high-profile young players another route to the NBA besides the NCAA after they graduate from high school.
Oturu, a 6-10 center and four-star Gophers recruit, is among the top 50 players in the Class of 2018. So he was contacted by Ball, along with several other top prospects, about joining the league after their senior year.
The answer from Oturu was basically, "Thanks, but no thanks."
"It was weird, but it was also cool that he wanted me to play in his new JBA league," Oturu said. "I already told him, 'No, I'm going to college and I'm looking to make my state proud.' That's my goal. That's been my dream. Nothing is going to change that."
Marcus Fuller
