5-star prospect MarJon Beauchamp will skip college to prepare for 2021 NBA draft
MarJon Beauchamp, the 5-star wing who hails from the state of Washington, has decided to take an unorthodox route to the NBA. He’s decided to forgo college so he can prepare for the 2021 draft, but instead of playing professionally in a different country, he’ll be entering a 12-month NBA prep program at Chameleon BX.
Beauchamp, 18, had a bevy of offers from Division I schools, including UCLA, University of Arizona, USC, Oregon State, Texas, Georgetown and University of Washington. But none of those felt right to him.
"I think it’s a better opportunity for me than college," Beauchamp told 247Sports. "I think it’s better. The training, and living a pro life for the whole 12 months. I think it’ll prepare me more than college.”
For Beauchamp’s father, John, his son’s NBA dream meant one thing: finding somewhere that could really prep him for that future. And college wasn’t it.
"There's not one college that can get you prepared for the NBA," John told 247Sports. "College is for college and NBA is NBA."
In fact, it was John who found out about Chameleon BX, and he presented the choice of college or a year of NBA prep to his son. And MarJon picked Chameleon BX.
Beauchamp still has a year of high school left, but he won’t be doing it at Seattle Rainier Beach in Washington, where he played last year. He’s transferred to Dream City Christian in Glendale, Arizona, to finish out his high school career. Then, it’s on to Chameleon BX.
While the vast majority of high school players decide to go to college for at least a year before declaring for the NBA draft, Beauchamp is one of a handful of players who have recently carved a different path for themselves. Five-star recruit R.J. Hampton decided to skip college and go pro, as did Terry Armstrong. Both are now playing in Australia’s National Basketball League. Kenyon Martin Jr. was inspired by Hampton and decided to pursue professional opportunities instead of college. LaMelo Ball also decided to go pro out of high school, but ... well, that’s a whole other story.
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