Paolo Banchero almost stopped midstride.“If I was to reclassify, these would be my last couple of games,” the O’Dea junior shared the eve of the Fighting Irish’s playoff run. He was referring to a fleeting moment last summer when Banchero and his family contemplated him graduating high school early.

Joining the trend for elite high-school athletes would’ve put Banchero — a five-star, 6-foot-9 recruiting prospect — on a college campus by fall and on the fast track to the NBA. Instead, the power forward dismantled high-school opponents and left them with the deflating fact they’ll have to face him again next year.