Ron Holland, 5-Star PF Prospect, to Join G League After Texas Decommitment
Ron Holland, one of the top players in the 2023 recruiting class, committed to play for the NBA G League Ignite next season.
"The G League will help me reach my potential as a basketball player and prepare me for the NBA," he told ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi. "To have a long career I need to prepare my body and improve my skills as I continue to try to win games. They have a program to help develop my body and my game.
Holland is the No. 2 overall player and the top-ranked power forward in 247Sports' composite rankings. He had originally committed to Texas but walked back that decision in April.
In February, ESPN's Jonathan Givony surveyed the 2024 draft landscape and listed Holland as the No. 6 pick. Borzello and Biancardi described him as an NBA athlete with great bounce and open-court speed, and they praised his defensive ability.
The G League rolled out its new pathway to the NBA in April 2020 and made Jalen Green the centerpiece of the project.
The Ignite had three players selected in the 2021 NBA draft: Green (No. 2), Jonathan Kuminga (No.7) and Isaiah Todd (No. 31). Three more Ignite stars followed in 2022, and Scoot Henderson is widely expected to be a top-five selection this summer.
Next year could be the best endorsement yet for the venture. Matas Buzelis, the No. 1 player in Givony's 2024 mock, officially signed with the Ignite on Wednesday. In Buzelis and Holland, they could have two top-five picks one summer from now.
Dink Pate, the No. 30 overall player in 247Sports' composite rankings, signed on in April as well after reclassifying to join the 2023 class. He'll be draft-eligible in 2025.
You can bet plenty of NBA talent evaluators will be closely examining the Ignite in 2023-24.
