Kansas forward Jalen Wilson has declared for the 2023 NBA draft, he announced on social media (Twitter video link). Wilson didn’t say anything about maintaining his eligibility, so we’re assuming he plans to stay in the draft and hire an agent.
Wilson was a redshirt junior, so he technically had two years of college eligibility left. However, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year is a projected second-round pick, currently No. 51 on ESPN’s big board, and clearly he likes his chances of making it to the NBA.
Wilson, who helped the Jayhawks win a national championship in 2022, led the team in scoring (20.1 PPG) and rebounding (8.3 RPG) during his standout junior season, in which he was also named first-team All-American. Kansas was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but fell in the second round to Arkansas.
The 22-year-old joins teammate Gradey Dick — a potential lottery pick — as Jayhawks who have declared for the draft.
Here are a few more college players who are entering the draft:
- Oklahoma guard Grant Sherfield, who had previous stops at Wichita State and Nevada, has declared for the draft (Instagram link). As with Wilson, Sherfield didn’t say anything about maintaining his eligibility (he had one year left due to COVID), so we’re assuming he’s going pro. As a senior for the Sooners, Sherfield averaged 15.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists on .403/.394/.863 shooting in 32 games (33.7 minutes per contest).
- UC-Davis guard Elijah Pepper, who earned All-Big West honors each of the past three seasons, is entering his name in the draft while maintaining his college eligibility, he announced on Twitter. Pepper had a productive senior season for the Aggies, averaging 22.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals on .449/.322/.816 shooting in 31 games (35.5 minutes).
- Tulane’s Sion James, a junior guard, is also testing the draft waters while maintaining his eligibility, he announced via Instagram. James put up 9.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals on .483/.317/.710 shooting in 31 games (37.1 minutes) for the Green Wave in 2022/23.
Jalen Hill from Oklahoma is also testing draft waters or transfer but won’t sign with an agent. (He’s not getting drafted so expect him to transfer somewhere.)
Porter Moser is going to need a whole new team. That’s 7 players leaving with only one (senior Groves) graduating.