When the NBL season started, the hype was surrounded by the group of next starts they had picked up for the season. This season they had 3 players go pro from high school. This had never been seen before. Of course, Lamelo Ball was the highlight of the three high school starts. Due to Lamelo’s following, it was expected that he would be a big draw for the NBL. Also, R.J. Hampton was a big coup because he was a highly rated recruit who also decided to reclassify, which drew huge excitement. Then there was the last of the group: Terry Armstrong. Terry’s decision was a bit more daring in that he was a four star recruit but not even a player who was considered a one-and-done player or top 25 player in his recruiting class. This didn’t mean that Terry wasn’t a good player – because his high school resume was very good. His high school team beat Lamelo Ball’s team and he was one of the best players and was slotted to go to Arizona. Looking at 247 sports, the recruiting profile on Terry Armstrong said that he could develop into an NBA player. Most players who contemplate going pro out of high school are the top ten players who are considered can’t-miss prospects. Terry Armstrong chose to bet on himself. Unfortunately, to this point it hasn’t paid off. Lamelo and R.J. are getting all the attention and if you do a google search for Terry or even look him up in the NBL there is no mention of his stats or any of his games. When most people think of a player going pro straight out of high school, they think of a player trying to develop early playing against the best but there is a very dark side to doing this. When you go pro too early you could be stunting your growth instead of getting better. Players get better by playing the game. Sitting on the bench for years and not seeing the court is not a good way to develop in basketball. For guys like Terry Armstrong, this could lead to players’ careers ending before they even start. If a young player gets a bad rap in a league like the NBL, it is likely that they might not get another chance to play and their basketball career can be over before it even starts. Risking your whole career for 100 thousand dollars doesn’t really make sense when high level college players make millions overseas. At the moment, Terry isn’t on anyone’s draft radar and his agent will likely have to do some hard work to find him another league to play in. To the next Terry Armstrong: it’s okay to bet on yourself but don’t just make the decision for money because the short term money never matches the long term money.