Johnny Furphy Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Furphy, Beekman, More Early Entrants, NTX Combine

April 17th, 2024 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Following a promising freshman season at Kansas, Jayhawks wing Johnny Furphy has announced that he’ll enter the 2024 NBA draft while retaining his NCAA eligibility (Twitter link).

Starting 19 of the 33 games he played in his first college season, Furphy averaged 9.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 24.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .466/.352/.765. He’s viewed as a potential first-round pick if he keeps his name in this year’s draft, coming in at No. 28 on ESPN’s big board.

Whether or not he decides to go pro, it figures to be an eventful summer for Furphy, who was included on Australia’s 22-man preliminary roster for the 2024 Olympics. While he may not make the 12-man roster for Paris, Furphy’s inclusion signals that the Boomers view him as a key part of the national team going forward.

Here are several more draft-related updates:

Virginia guard Reece Beekman will forgo his final year of college eligibility and enter this year’s draft, he announced on Instagram. A two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Beekman averaged 14.3 points, 6.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in 2023/24. He’s the No. 69 prospect on ESPN’s board.
Two more players in ESPN’s top 100 have declared for the draft: Croatian power forward Andrija Jelavic (Twitter link via agent Misko Raznatovic) and Colorado State senior guard Nique Clifford (Twitter link via ESPN’s Jonathan Givony). Jelavic, who played for KK Mega Basket in Serbia this season, is No. 88 on ESPN’s list, while Clifford comes in at No. 95.
The following seniors are also testing the NBA draft waters as early entrants this spring while maintaining their final year of NCAA eligibility: Duke guard Jeremy Roach (Instagram link), Clemson guard Chase Hunter (Twitter link), and St. John’s wing Chris Ledlum (Twitter link).
Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have updated their mock draft at ESPN (Insider link). There are no surprises at the top, with Zaccharie Risacher, Alexandre Sarr, and Donovan Clingan still comprising the top three, in that order.
This year’s NTX Combine, which will feature 32 senior prospects and will be broadcast on Bally Sports, will take place from May 8-10, per an announcement (Twitter link). Cavaliers guard Craig Porter and Mavericks two-way player Dexter Dennis were among last year’s participants.

And-Ones: Australia, McLemore, York, Jerebko, Calipari, Klutch

April 11th, 2024 at 8:15am CST by Luke Adams

The Australian national team has revealed its preliminary roster for the 2024 Olympics, announcing a list of 22 players that are in the mix to play in Paris. That group will have to be cut down to 12 players ahead of this summer’s tournament.

Australia’s preliminary roster includes several NBAers, including Thunder guard Josh Giddey, Mavericks guard Dante Exum, Trail Blazers forward Matisse Thybulle and big man Duop Reath, Mavericks wing Josh Green, Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels, Magic forward Joe Ingles, Heat guard Patty Mills, Rockets center Jock Landale, and Grizzlies forward Jack White.

As Olgun Uluc of ESPN notes, the newest addition to the Boomers’ roster is 19-year-old Johnny Furphy, who played for the Kansas Jayhawks in 2023/24 and is projected by ESPN to be a potential first-round pick in this year’s draft.

The most notable absence is Ben Simmons, as the Nets guard underwent back surgery last month that will sideline him for the Olympics. Simmons doesn’t have much history with the Australian national team, so it’s unclear if he would’ve been part of the Boomers’ roster in Paris even if he’d been healthy.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Former NBA guard Ben McLemore was arrested and jailed this week in Oregon and faces multiple felony sexual assault charges, reports Baxter Holmes of ESPN. The charges, which include first-degree rape, stem from an alleged incident in 2021, when McLemore was a member of the Trail Blazers.
Former NBA guard Gabe York, who appeared in five games for the Pacers across two seasons from 2021-23, has signed with Basquet Girona, the Spanish team announced this week in a press release. York played for the G League Ignite earlier this season.
Following a two-year hiatus from basketball, Swedish forward Jonas Jerebko is making a comeback, having signed with Puerto Rican team Santeros de Aguada, according to Eurohoops. Jerebko, who turned 37 last month, appeared in 635 NBA regular season games for four teams from 2009-19. He last played professionally for CSKA Moscow in 2022.
Shams Charania and Kyle Tucker of The Athletic take an in-depth look at John Calipari‘s decision to leave Kentucky for Arkansas after 15 years with the Wildcats, detailing how Calipari’s deal with the Razorbacks came about.
One Legacy Sports Management, led by veteran agent Mike George, is becoming part of Klutch Sports, CEO Rich Paul tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Jamal Murray, Dillon Brooks, and Shaedon Sharpe are among George’s clients, per RealGM.