Babatunde Oladotun has spent so much of his life playing up a grade or two in basketball that the 16-year-old can’t recall a time when he did play against kids in his own grade.
“In kindergarten, dad had me play up two years,” he exclaimed, ribbing his father, Ibrahim, who sat next to his son on their drive to a Nike’s skills camp in Los Angeles.
It’s true. And it’s why, Ibrahim says, no one should be surprised by Baba’s reclassification earlier this month from the 2027 class to the 2026 class, meaning the NBA hopeful will enter the college ranks one year earlier than originally planned. The top-ranked 2027 player by both 247Sports and ESPN, the Maryland high schooler now moves into the No. 5 slot for the 2026 class, behind No. 1 Tyran Stokes, one of the most-coveted players in the country.
Baba’s move up isn’t surprising given his personal arc — he played up this summer on Team Durant’s 17U squad and has a December birthday — or the current climate.
Reclassifying has become a trend across college hoops over the past few years. Consider that before Baba, Cooper Flagg reclassified from 2026 to 2025, led Duke to the Final Four as a true freshman and then got drafted No. 1 by the Dallas Mavericks in June. (Flagg’s twin brother Ace did not reclassify and will be a freshman at the University of Maine this fall.) In October, BYU guard AJ Dybantsa, originally a 2026 star recruit, will make his college hoops debut after reclassifying to 2025. There’s no word yet on whether Georgia high schooler A.J. Williams, the top player in 2028 according to ESPN.com, will join the reclassification movement.
But what is surprising is the family’s reason for their decision.
“Baba is not Cooper Flagg,” he said of his 6-foot-10, 195-pound son. “They’re two different players, their bodies are totally different. This was about protecting an asset.”
Ibrahim, a Nigerian native who played junior college ball in Pensacola, Fla., before transferring to Virginia Tech and playing for the Hokies from 1989-91, doesn’t want people to think his son is chasing anyone.
In making the choice, the family factored in how much wear and tear top prospects’ bodies take after years on the grassroots circuit. Besides club basketball in the spring and July, players typically spend June with their high school teams. Some of the best prospects also do stints with Team USA at various mini-camps and FIBA youth events, adding to the toll on their bodies.
“The biggest driving factor (in this decision) was, he’s an asset, how do we protect that asset? A four-year college isn’t just about NIL — it’s all-you-can-eat food, access to strength and conditioning, elite medical and healthcare,” Ibrahim explained. “It’s more of an insurance policy.”
Reclassification has long been a trend in college football, particularly with quarterbacks, though one of the top receivers, Ethan “Boobie” Feaster of powerhouse DeSoto (Texas) High School, recently reclassified before committing to Southern California in July. In college hoops, it’s a newer fad. The thinking is that the sooner a top prospect gets to college, the sooner he can rake in NIL money, get to the NBA and ultimately sign a second NBA contract, which can set someone up for life financially (rookies drafted in the first round sign a contract based on their draft position and tied to the rookie pay scale; second contracts do not have those parameters).
The introduction of NIL has dramatically altered the landscape of college sports, and agents who work with college athletes aren’t surprised when top prospects choose to catapult themselves into college sooner. One agent, who was granted anonymity in exchange for his candor, said, “In general, I think you’re going to see it more and more. If you feel you’re ready and you can earn (NIL) now, why not?
“Now, is it a smart decision? That’s a different conversation. The most valuable thing you can do as a freshman is play, and if you don’t play well because you’re not ready, that’s going to hurt your earning potential the next three years.”
Ibrahim and Baba insist money played no role in Baba’s decision to expedite his graduation from Blake High School in Cloverly, Maryland, just north of D.C. Ibrahim said at least one major college coach told the family, “Baba could play college ball right now,” but that they did not feel pressured by coaches to reclassify. He has dozens of offers from top programs, including Gonzaga, Kansas and Kentucky, among others.
(Chris Day / The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Academically, after a few years of summer school, Baba was already on track to graduate early. This summer, he took 11th-grade English and was often “reading and writing papers between practices and games,” Ibrahim said. “When we were on the West Coast, he was getting up at 5 a.m. to take an 8 a.m. test back east.” He plans to take pre-calculus this fall, and wants to study business marketing or finance in college.
They also push back on the idea that this is just a ploy to get to the pros faster.
“I don’t want him to be labeled as ‘one and done’ before he even gets to college,” Ibrahim said. “I don’t think kids should be labeled like that at all. You go into school at 18 looking for good development. We’re not trying to push him to do anything, to go to the NBA as soon as possible, nothing like that. And NIL was the last thing on our minds; obviously it comes with the territory in this day and age, but it’s not at all why we did it.”
Ibrahim said he and Baba are “talking to agents and educating ourselves, but we are not doing anything because they say we need to.”
Baba is comfortable with the move because he’s already so familiar with the 2026 class, having played against it on the club circuit and at elite camps for years.
“Mentally, it’s like I’m going back to my original class,” he said. “I vibe and chill with those (2026) guys all the time. It wasn’t until COVID that I ever really played with my (grade) level. My dad always played me up to challenge me, and I hadn’t really ever got out of the 2026 mindset. I’m excited, not timid, about the challenges of college basketball. To play against the best of the best, that’s what I want.”
Ibrahim and Baba estimate that when he gets to college it’s feasible to add another 15-20 pounds of muscle to his wiry frame. Gaining weight has been a focus: He’s put on more than 20 pounds since last summer. Ibrahim, who is 6-foot-8 1/2, thinks it’s possible his son could grow an inch or two more but thinks it would come in his torso because “his legs are already longer than some 7-footers, his legs are done!” (Both Ibrahim and Baba also admit, somewhat reluctantly, that Baba’s mom, Dessire, standing just 5-foot-3 is not an advantage.)
As a member of Team Durant, Baba has spent time with his team’s namesake, and his long, lanky frame is reminiscent of the 15-time All-Star and four-time Olympian. On the club circuit, many current and former NBA standouts have teams named after them, usually the result of a financial sponsorship from the pro. Some, like Chris Paul and Bradley Beal, serve as assistant coaches. Others, like Carmelo Anthony, sit courtside and cheer – and heckle refs – relentlessly.
Durant doesn’t coach the team named for him, but Baba said he’s around plenty and that he’s learned a lot more from Durant than just how to emulate his hesitation, two-dribble pull-up. Durant has talked frankly about the discipline and focus required to have a pro career spanning nearly two decades. He’s also harped on Baba that the greats are “always trying to learn from other players, and always continuing to develop their game,” Baba said.
Playing up helps achieve that. And there is one area Baba needs to improve: His ability to beat Ibrahim one-on-one.
“He’s not used to playing up to my level,” Ibrahim taunted, and Baba’s eye roll could practically be heard through the phone.
“He doesn’t respect my foul calls,” Baba said.
“I don’t have to respect foul calls made by a 16-year-old,” Ibrahim countered. He knows a switch is coming though.
“When he can play up to my level,” Ibrahim said. “I’ll retire.”
(Top photo: Chris Day / The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
