Kanon Catchings leaving Brownsburg for Overtime Elite, still committed to Purdue

One of the state’s top high school basketball players is leaving the state for his senior season.

Brownsburg standout and Purdue recruit Kanon Catchings plans to play at Overtime Elite, an elite basketball league in Atlanta that started in 2021. Catchings averaged 17.5 points and 4.8 rebounds as a junior and is rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 14 player in the country in the 2024 class by 247Sports.

It was not an easy decision for Catchings, who has been playing with his current senior-to-be teammates since third grade. Catchings is the nephew of former Tennessee and Indiana Fever great Tamika Catchings, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.

“This was a hard decision for him,” said his mother, Tauja Catchings, a star in college at Illinois. “He had a phenomenal option of playing at Brownsburg with the teammates and coaches there he’s known for a long time. He has a brother who is coming up in eighth grade. There were a lot of prep schools reaching out in the last year or so, but he wasn’t interested in them because Brownsburg was such a good option.”

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Tauja Catchings said the Overtime Elite option became more of a reality after Kanon visited the facilities and saw the operation first hand. Amen and Ausar Thompson, drafted No. 4 and No. 5 in the first round of the NBA draft last month by the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons, respectively, were part of Overtime Elite’s inaugural class and the first players taken in the NBA draft.

“(Kanon) wasn’t really seeking an opportunity, but he saw Overtime Elite was a good opportunity and was the only one he was really interested in other than Brownsburg,” Tauja Catchings said. “We took a visit and saw it was incredible as far as what they offer from a basketball development standpoint, along with social and academic development. For Kanon, we said, ‘OK, this might be something that can help you in a lot of areas.’ He really wanted to sleep on it and pray on it and he came to the realization that this was probably going to be the best option to prepare him for when he gets to Purdue.”

Overtime Elite generated headlines when it started as an upstart professional league offering $100,000 contracts to top high school players. At the time, it was viewed as competition for college coaches looking to recruit the same players. But now, due to NIL legislation, college athletes are allowed to profit off their own image. Players like Catchings can sign as scholarship students and pursue NIL opportunities while staying eligible for college.

Kentucky recruit Somto Cyril, N.C. State recruit Trey Parker and uncommitted Jahki Howard are other current top-100 prospects in the 2024 class at Overtime Elite.

Brownsburg coach Steve Lynch said he appreciated the Catchings family communicating through the process. The Bulldogs are coming off a 22-5 season and Class 4A semistate championship appearance.

“We wish him the best of luck and understand it was a tough decision,” Lynch said.

Tauja Catchings said it is tough for her, too. But part of the draw of Overtime Elite has nothing to do with basketball.

“Traditional school has not been easy for him,” she said. “With his goals (in basketball), there are things that Overtime Elite can offer from the business of basketball that you aren’t going to get in a traditional school. But it is hard because of the relationships he’s built, especially with coach Lynch and (assistant coach Jeff) Hanni. It made that decision that much tougher. And it’s hard for me because he’s leaving the household, too. But it’s probably something that he needs.”

Catchings is the first Indiana player to commit to Overtime Elite, though Heritage Christian graduate and Purdue recruit Myles Colvin did consider the option.

Tauja Catchings said her son’s move does bring back some memories of her younger sister. Tamika Catchings was starting to blossom into a high school star, earning Miss Basketball in Illinois as a sophomore after leading her Stevenson High School team to a state championship in 1994-95. That summer their parents, Harvey and Wanda, divorced. Tamika moved with her mother to Duncanville, Texas, to be closer to family. Her senior year, she was named Texas Miss Basketball and the Naismith National Player of the Year.

“There are a lot of parallels there,” Tauja said. “With my sister, I think that made her speak for herself and helped her come into her own and grow up a little bit. Kanon is like her in a lot of ways and I think he sees how this can benefit him. I think it will be good for him to have some separation but also be in an environment where there is a lot of learning and nurturing and support.”

Call Star reporter at (317) 444-6649 or email kyle.neddenriep@indystar.com

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Overtime Elite signs Kanon Catchings, Purdue basketball 2024 recruit