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Top 2017 recruit warns prep stars may spurn college for pro ball

Kelly Kline / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Terrance Ferguson isn't the first top recruit to forego college for professional basketball overseas, but his decision could bring many top players to choose the same path, warns 2017 No. 1 prospect DeAndre Ayton.

"I think Terrance Ferguson opened their eyes up, I think a lot of dudes are gonna go overseas," the 7-foot center told Adam Zagoria of Sportsnet New York.

According to ESPN, Ferguson was the 11th-best prospect in the 2016 recruiting class, and had committed to Arizona before deciding to play overseas instead. The 6-foot-6 guard joins Brandon Jennings, Jeremy Tyler, and Emmanuel Mudiay as top recruits to opt for a year of professional ball before entering the NBA draft instead of going the college route. It's a move Ayton thinks many top prep players will consider going forward.

"That's the big talk right now," Ayton said. "They just looking at it, like man I want to go get this money, stuff like that. But I'm just going to take it step by step and see where my game is at."

While there has been speculation that Ayton will make the move to professional basketball and skip college, he was quick to refute that, and listed Arizona, Kansas, and Kentucky as his top-three schools.

"My mom wants me to go to college so I have to go," Ayton said. "I really want to win a national championship, to be honest."

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