Editor's note: Every week in "Starting 5," we'll roll out five stories, themes and nuggets from the basketball recruiting world to set the table with the stories that need to be told and give you a leg up on the watercooler conversations around the office.
This week we look at why Australian Dante Exum might be the most under-the-radar elite recruit in the 2014 class, power forwards who are the best at getting buckets, the similarities in Dwyane Wade and Ben McLemore's journeys from high school to the NBA, why fifth-year seniors are the new recruiting trend and the five best high school passers since 1997.
1. The Exum factor
There's a really good player out there flying under the radar -- sort of. Guard Dante Exum is Australia's finest prospect in the Class of 2014. Exum has been to the United States on numerous occasions and participated in the adidas Nations last summer, but he's the only elite prospect we could find who is considering college and only dabbled with the NCAA's live evaluation period last July.
Last summer, Exum played in Las Vegas during the open evaluation period. Yours truly gambled on his team winning a game, but they lost and my chance to watch him up close was gone. However, Exum distinguished himself in the Nike Hoop Summit this past spring and also has a 21-point performance in a loss to Team USA in the U17 world championships to hang his hat on.
Here's how good he's considered: If you're offering a scholarship to No. 1 point guard Tyus Jones, you're offering one to Exum.