There was 7-foot-1 high-school star Thon Maker, out on the court two hours before Monday's BioSteel All-Canadian game, knocking down three-point shots. The high-profile big man was warming up with the rest of the top players in Canadian high-school hoops, but the 19-year-old had no plans to play in the all-star showcase.

After all, he's no longer a high-school kid. Every move he makes now is about landing a National Basketball Association contract.

Maker is a Sudanese-born player who has spent the past two basketball seasons at Athlete Institute Prep in Orangeville, Ont. The NBA requires players to be at least 19 years old and a year removed from high school, but Maker is testing the terms of that rule. He says he officially graduated last year and has been doing an extra postgraduate year at Athlete Institute, so he believes he's now eligible to skip college and declare for June's draft.

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Maker is awaiting a ruling from the NBA on whether he's eligible. In the meantime, he's been training in South Carolina and flew back to Toronto to be part of the festivities and talk to media at the BioSteel All-Canadian game – a game for which he was selected as one of the top 24 players of this year's Canadian high-school season.

Playing in another game with teens no longer benefits a player in this situation. The power forward with a knack for shooting threes answered seven minutes worth of questions from the media in Toronto with very brief answers. He said the NBA is his top priority, although he's not looking at where draft pundits project he'll be selected. If he proceeds to sign with an agent, he won't be eligible to play in college. If he does sign an agent and the NBA rules him ineligible for the 2016 draft, he would have to play pro elsewhere next season.

"I never wanted to do the overseas thing, but college still is an option if I do things the right way," Maker said.

After leaving Sudan as a young boy, Maker was raised in Australia. He then spent a year playing at a school in Louisiana, then two in Virginia before playing two in Orangeville.

"It may largely depend on whether the NBA considers the year he did in Louisiana as a year of middle school or high school," said his coach at Athlete Institute, Brandon Lesovsky. "He did graduate from here last year, so we're getting a lot of feedback from different people right now on what the NBA may decide. If it works for him, the NBA knows other players may try to use this route, so I'm sure they'll take their time with this decision."

Maker also pulled out of the Nike Hoop Summit, a showcase of high-school talent that took place recently in Portland, Ore.

"He has a lot of people advising him on what's best," Lesovsky said. "All-star games can be unpredictable and there's a risk of injury. From here on, you have to put yourself in the best situation to put a good foot forward and these showcases aren't great for that, especially for bigs. These games are very guard-dominated. He wants to be out there playing one last time, but from a business perspective, he has lots of things he needs to consider."

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While the NBA used to allow high-schoolers to be drafted – like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard – the rules have kept them out since 2006. Maker realizes this ruling will be watched by many other young stars nearing the end of their high-school careers.

"I don't know what it will do, but I do know it will be huge," said Maker. "I had to make the best decision for myself and let them decide what's best for them."