Darlan, Toohey among 5 notable standouts from the NBA Academy

Las Vegas, Nevada – One of the best parts about coming to Las Vegas for the Tarkanian Classic is we get to see this year’s crop of NBA Academy players. The NBA Academy is run by the NBA, and they bring three teams each year to compete. The NBA Global Academy is based in Australia, and they have NBA Academy Latin America and NBA Academy Africa.

Each year these three programs pump out numerous D-I players. In the current college freshman class, guys like Tyrece Proctor (Duke) and Ugonna Onyesu (Kentucky) were products of these academies. Previously, players like Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, Bennedict Mathurin, and Gorgui Deng all played here.

So it is good, each year, to be able to get live eyes on these players. Be able to talk with them and the NBA Academy staff and have a solid feel for what they are on the basketball court. This year’s big draw was Thierry Serge Darlan of the NBA Academy Africa. His showings in various events this summer had NBA personnel buzzing. Each time he stepped on the floor this weekend, he had NBA people watching.

While Darlan was a standout, here are five players to pay attention to from the various NBA Academies.

6-6 G Thierry Serge Darlan

NBA Academy Africa

Thierry Serge Darlan came into this event with a lot of buzz. After his July performance at the NBA Academy Games that saw Darlan average 14 points and shoot 48.5 percent from three while winning the six-game championship, word started to spread. The 6-foot-6 guard then followed that up with an MVP performance in the September Basketball Without Borders event in Cairo. It was then things started to really pick up, with NBA teams taking notice.

Between the Tarkanian Classic and the G-League Winter Showcase, Darlan played five games this week. He was the primary ball handler for his team in each of the games, which looked unnatural for him. You could see when he was asked to get downhill and score, that was when he was most comfortable. When he did things off the bounce, especially going left, he was not decisive in his decision-making. With the jump shot, it was very nice shooting from a standstill, but off movement, his alignment was not the same.

In the G-Leauge Showcase game, against the NBA Global Academy team, with hundreds of NBA personnel looking on, Darlan finished with 18 points on 5-of-14 from the field, 1-of-5 from three, and 7-of-12 from the free-throw line. He also added four rebounds, seven assists, and 12 turnovers. Darlan seems to be learning a new position as the primary initiator. This will take some time as there is obvious discomfort. However, there are some natural tools there that intrigue.

7-3 C Rocco Zikarsky

NBA Global Academy

With Zach Edey producing at Purdue like he is right now, Rocco Zikarsky, who is listed as a 7-foot-3 lefty, was sure to turn some heads. Only a class of 2025, Zikarsky was productive each time he stepped on the floor.

Zikarsky came off the bench for the NBA Global Academy team, a team based in Australia. However, his production was vast, playing only 17 to 19 minutes per game. The conditioning is a thing; as a player listed at 7-foot-3 and only 16 years old, he will continue growing into his body and frame.

The native of Queensland, Australia, has touch around the basket, and he moves fluidly. There is good length there, and he plays with a sense of toughness. In the exhibition game against NBA Academy Africa, at the G-League Winter Showcase, in front of hundreds of NBA personnel, Zikarsky had 14 points on 7-of-10 from the field. He added seven rebounds and a blocked shot. There is a lot here.

6-8 PF Chris Tadjo

NBA Academy Latin America

Chris Tadjo was a man amongst men on the floor. He has a very strong frame, with wide-set shoulders and long arms. He plays the game with a lot of burst and very aggressively on both ends of the floor.

Tadjo was born in Montreal, Quebec. What stood out first for me was the way he tracked rebounds in and out of his area. He was a force on the glass, both ending and extending possessions. The 6-foot-8 post also showed some polish on the block. While still a little raw on that end, he was comfortable with his back to the basket and had a go-to move. He also caught a few nasty dunks when catching the ball off movement, heading toward the basket.

There are a lot of winning qualities from this class of 2024 prospect. He does a lot of the tough guy stuff. Surprisingly he does not have any offers yet, but programs like Xavier and Oregon have taken an interest.

6-8 F Alex Toohey (Gonzaga)

NBA Global Academy

Alex Toohey is a skilled, 6-foot-8 player with the reputation of a guy who can handle, shoot, and pass. Toohey chose Gonzaga over a final group that also included Michigan, Davidson, and Villanova. The forward has already made a handful of appearances with the Australia Senior National Team.

There is something about Toohey’s game that always seems to be on balance and in the right spot. He is a good rebounder and a better athlete than you may think. The dynamic aspect of Toohey’s game is a question. Can he be a consistent three-point shooter, and can he create his own shot opportunities?

At the G-League Winter Showcase, playing against NBA Academy Africa in front of hundreds of NBA personnel, Toohey had 11 points on 5-of-15 from the field, 0-of-2 from three, and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. He added eight rebounds, one assist and did not log a steal or a block. He is a good player, there is no denying that, and a connective piece with a nice skill base which will be interesting to see how he grows at Gonzaga.

7-0 C Khaman Maluach

NBA Academy Africa

Khaman Maluach was one of the takeaways of the weekend. There is a raw nature still to his game, but the 7-foot-0 center continued to flash in each of the games he played this week.

Maluach, who is originally from South Sudan, has long arms, and he moves very well, both laterally and vertically. The 7-footer was as good a rim protector as I saw, and, at times, he proved capable of switching and moving his feet with smaller guys on the perimeter. Offensively, Maluach tried to dunk everything within five feet of the basket, and he stepped out to hit multiple threes.

In the game against the NBA Global Academy, Maluach had 9 points on 3-of-11 from the field and 2-of-6 from three. He added four rebounds, one steal, and a game-high six blocked shots. He will need to get stronger and continue getting caught up to the speed of the game, but with a September 2006 birthday, there is a high ceiling here.