"I saw how those boys was living, I said, this is where I want to go to school" - Tracy McGrady reveals the NCAA college he would have considered going to
Tracy McGrady was an elite high school basketball player who chose to go straight to the NBA. He recently revealed the NCAA college basketball team he would have preferred if he went to college.
Before high school basketball players were forced to spend a year preparing, they had the option to go straight from high school to the NBA. Several players entered the NBA Draft after high school to varying degrees of success.
Tracy McGrady was one of the more successful players to go straight to the NBA. The Basketball Hall of Famer recently revealed which NCAA college he would have chosen.
"I took my visit to a couple of colleges but I went to Kentucky and I saw how those boys was living, I said, this is where I want to go to school. I was already a fan before I went there. When I took that visit bro and I see how they were living up there as college athletes. I want to go to Kentucky."
Due to the success of the Kentucky Wildcats basketball program, they were able to recruit elite talents and treat them well.
Kentucky was one of the best NCAA basketball programs before Tracy McGrady's visit, and they were even more successful when McGrady would have been there.
Kentucky won an NCAA championship in what would have been McGrady's first year with the Wildcats. If McGrady chose to stay all four years in college, he would have won two national championships, three national championship game appearances, and four NCAA Elite Eights.
Given how successful that team was without McGrady, it is possible that they could have achieved national championships in all four seasons. McGrady could have also benefitted from joining the Wildcats beyond the championships.
Tracy McGrady skipping NCAA college basketball was good and bad
Tracy McGrady is one of the best basketball players ever to make it into the NBA. Despite being snubbed from the NBA 75th-Anniversary team, he is regarded as one of the elite scorers in the game's history.
Still, McGrady's best play did not come until he was a few years into his career. Spending time in the NCAA with the Kentucky Wildcats could have been beneficial.
Tracy McGrady failed to make the playoffs until his third season in the NBA, but he did at least have a strong performance in that game.
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Tracy McGrady - 25
Chris Bosh - 22
Jonas Valanciunas - 17
Vince Carter - 16
DeMar DeRozan - 14
OG Anunoby - 12
McGrady's breakout season came in 2000, his fourth season in the NBA. While three years in college instead of the league may not have had the same development, he would have experienced more success in college.