Seventh-grade hoops star Marvin Bagley III already has a Division I scholarship offer
This seventh-grade basketball player is better than yours.
Marvin Bagley III's highlight video -- courtesy of City League Hoops guru Ty Kish -- may only consist of a series of layups and jump shots, but the young 6-foot-8 southpaw from the Class of 2018 already owns a Division I scholarship offer.
Northern Arizona extended an offer on Tuesday afternoon, according to a Twitter post from DunkDog.com National Scouting and Recruiting Coordinator Spencer Pulliam. Arizona State is also reportedly interested in the youngster, and could extend a scholarship offer in the not-too-distant future.
The Lumberjacks haven't made the NCAA Tournament since 2000, so what's the harm in NAU coach Jack Murphy offering a scholarship to a 13-year-old who throws down alley-oops on the regular and even dunked so hard that he once broke a basket?
Murphy has a number of factors going against him ever landing the in-state sensation. Major DI programs will be circling soon enough, especially since North Carolina coach Roy Williams just extended his first ever offer to a freshman.
Meanwhile, MiddleSchoolElite.com reportedly connected the Bagleys with the Towns family, who raised Karl Towns Jr. -- an elite Class of 2014 prospect who has verbaled to Kentucky while maintaining a 4.1 GPA at St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.) High. Bagley III already ranks second in the Class of 2018, according to The Hoop Scoop.
Strike three against NAU's chances: Bagley told Basketball Spotlight his favorite college basketball program is Arizona State University, where his grandfather played in the 1960s. It's only a matter of time before ASU coach Herb Sendek gets in the game.
As for the added pressure of swirling scholarships at the age of 13, Bagley was already playing club ball around the country for California Basketball Academy's Sacramento-based 916 Select, Tennessee-based We All Can Go All-Stars and the hometown Team Bibby -- an AAU team operated by former Wildcats star Mike Bibby.
Based on an interview with Basketball Spotlight -- yes, he's already conducting interviews -- Bagley doesn't appear to be feeling the pressure at all. See for yourself:
BS: Who’s your favorite player and why?
MB3: It’s hard to choose just one favorite player because I like so many. If I had to narrow it down, my two favorites would be Kevin Durant & Blake Griffin. I like Kevin Durant because he can score in so many ways, and Blake Griffin because he’s an unbelievable dunker.BS: If you could have dinner with one person, who would you select and why?
MB3: I would want to have dinner with Michael Jordan, because he’s the best ever and I would love to hear advice from him directly to me about how I could become the best ever.
Bagley's best quality? "Work ethic." And his worst? "I may expect too much from myself." Sounds like every other elite basketball recruit in the country. Except he's 13.
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