G League Ignite's big Wednesday started with the addition of five-star prospect Matas Buzelis and continued less than an hour later with another big splash: Fellow five-star Class of 2023 standout Ron Holland, who told 247Sports he is taking a professional route just weeks after decommitting from Texas. The No. 1 player in the cycle, according to 247Sports, is the highest-rated signee for the program since Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga in 2020.
What looked like a potentially soft incoming class for G League Ignite in 2023-24 has quickly blossomed into a powerhouse team full of prospects, led now by Holland, who, like Buzelis, will be a contender for the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The class also includes top-30 prospect Dink Pate and international prospect Thierry Darlan.
"Really, when I took a visit, I saw that this was the pro life I was looking for," Holland said. "I was able to see what my life could look like and what better spot to prepare for that than the G League. I know they are going to prepare me for the NBA, for the combine and all of that. I know they won't let me down and I'm not going to let them down."
Holland initially committed to the University of Texas in November 2022 and signed with the school a week later, but the suspension and subsequent ouster of coach Chris Beard changed circumstances for the program and for Holland, who got out of his National Letter of Intent in April. That decision came days after new Texas coach Rodney Terry signed Virginia transfer Kadin Shedrick, foreshadowing that perhaps Holland wasn't in the program's future. Days later, the Horns added UTEP transfer Ze'Rik Onyema to further solidify that thinking.
The 6-foot-8, 195-pound Holland is a combination forward who brings athleticism and shooting to G League Ignite. He has the raw skill to be one of the program's highest-drafted players since it began in 2020. From Adam Finkelstein, 247Sports' Director of Scouting:
He's very athletic, not just vertically, but in the way he covers the floor, thrives in the open court, can move laterally, and his speed. While the term versatile defender gets thrown around easily these days, Holland actually embodies it. Given that, along with his size and shooting potential, he has a chance to evolve into the modern-day big wing that is so coveted at the highest level. His overall skill-set needs to continue to develop, particularly as a handler where he can be guilty of trying to do too much, but there is a foundation to build off, even as a passer. He has to find a balance between competing with an edge and letting his emotions get the better of him, but when he's playing with the motor that he showed during FIBA this summer, he's extremely impactful.
G League Ignite has produced three top-10 picks in two previous draft cycles and is expected to produce another in coming weeks with Scoot Henderson. The additions of Holland and Buzelis on the same day positions the league to potentially double that count in the same cycle in 2024; Babacar Sane, Thierry, Buzelis, Holland and Pate are all in the mix to potentially play their way into top-10 selections next summer.
