"A lot of the 16 year old 2017 commits are going to see when they get to college that being 18 months older or younger doesn't mean anything anymore in college. The best players don't need a crutch now. And those are the players who will play in college."
You may be mistaken on this point. At least one of the Thompson phenoms is 23 years old. While age may not be the determining factor in his success, clearly, it does not seem to hurt him.
