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NBA prospect Lonzo Ball and UCLA have no fear of Melbourne United clash
By Roy Ward
The NBA's age limit is often decried by basketball fans.
Without it, Australia's Ben Simmons could have gone to the NBA after high school without playing a college season at Louisiana State University last year.
Lonzo Ball of the UCLA Bruins at a training session at Melbourne University.Credit: Wayne Taylor
But the age limit, which stops US-based players from entering the NBA until they have turned 19, has done local supporters a big favour as highly touted NBA draft prospect Lonzo Ball will take to the court when the UCLA Bruins play Melbourne United at the State Basketball Centre on Saturday night.
The 18-year-old point guard is projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2017 NBA draft. But if he had the choice he would have tried his luck in this year's draft, in which Simmons' was taken at No.1.
At 198 centimetres and with an explosive leap, Ball threw down multiple dunks in the Bruins' practice on Friday, dunks which wouldn't have looked out of place on an NBA court.
"I obviously wanted to go into the league straight out of high school until they put that rule in," Ball said.
"So I figured I would come here and get some run."
One of Ball's contemporaries is forward Terrance Ferguson, who shunned going to college and signed with the Adelaide 36ers for the upcoming NBL season. Like Ball, Ferguson plans to enter the draft next year when he is eligible, but Ball said he never considered playing overseas.
"I was always going to go straight to college, get my one year and leave," Ball said.
US college basketball restricts the amount of time coaches can work with players out of season and only allows schools to have overseas tours every three or four years, so the Bruins visit is a rare one.
They thumped a Sydney University invitational team on Tuesday night and their only other game after Melbourne will be a sold-out clash with Brisbane Bullets in Brisbane on Monday.
"We should be fine, we are not a small team so we should be good," Ball added.
Ball enters college basketball after a state championship and undefeated season with his Chino Hills High School side.
Bruins coach Steve Alford said his young gun was already used to performing under the microscope.
"He just needs to be himself," Alford said. "He grew up in Los Angeles and had a lot of success in his high school year by going undefeated and winning the state title in California, which is hard enough without going undefeated.
"He has a very good basketball IQ and I just want him to be enjoying it. It's not about if this person says you are good or bad – just be Lonzo Ball and go and do what you do best, which is play the game."
While Ball is open about his desire for an NBA future, he knows his standing with NBA scouts will be impacted by how much success he has with the Bruins.
"You can't let it go to your head, you have to live in the moment," Ball said.
"If I'm nothing in college then I know I'm not going to make it so I just focus, handle my business."
Melbourne United host UCLA Bruins at the State Basketball Centre, Wantirna South on Saturday at 7pm.
Tickets for the game were still available on Friday afternoon from United's website.