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Judah Mintz

Draft Notes: Mintz, Parrish, Riley, Aidoo, Burton, More

April 12th, 2024 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Syracuse sophomore guard Judah Mintz is declaring for the 2024 NBA draft, he announced in an Instagram post. Mintz stated in a video that he’s “transitioning to the next phase” of his career, so it sounds as if he’s prepared to go pro rather than retaining his college eligibility and possibly returning to school.

Mintz was the leading scorer for the Orange in 2023/24, filling up the box score with 18.8 points, 4.4 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 steals in 33.9 minutes per game. However, he has yet to develop into a reliable threat from outside, making just 24-of-85 three-point attempts (28.2%) for the season.

Mintz is currently at No. 76 on ESPN’s list of the top 100 prospects of 2024.

We have more updates on early entrants declaring for the 2024 draft:

  • San Diego State senior wing Micah Parrish is entering the transfer portal and testing the NBA draft waters this spring, he tells Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Parrish, who has spent the last two years at San Diego State after two seasons at Oakland, is leaving the door open to returning to the Aztecs for his super-senior season, Rothstein notes.
  • Temple junior guard Jordan Riley is testing the NBA draft waters while maintaining his NCAA eligibility, a source tells Hoops Rumors. Bobby Bancroft of Casual Hoya (Twitter link) first reported the news. Riley averaged 11.9 points and 6.0 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game for the Owls in 2023/24 after transferring from Georgetown.
  • Tennessee junior big man Jonas Aidoo is going through the draft process while maintaining his college eligibility, reports Joe Tipton of On3 Sports (Twitter link). Aidoo earned a spot on the SEC’s All-Defensive team this season after averaging 11.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 1.8 BPG in 36 starts (24.8 MPG).
  • Notre Dame freshman guard Markus Burton is entering the draft, though his Instagram announcement strongly suggests he’s leaning toward withdrawing and returning to school. Burton stated that he hopes the feedback he receives during the pre-draft process helps him improve his game for his sophomore season.
  • Northern Illinois junior guard David Coit (Instagram link), Eastern Washington junior wing Cedric Coward (Instagram link), and Providence freshman guard Garwey Dual (Twitter link) are among the other players who recently declared for the draft as early entrants (hat tip to Jon Chepkevich of RookieScale.com)
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Draft Decisions: A. Jackson, Edey, Beekman, More

May 31st, 2023 at 11:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Andre Jackson Jr., who helped lead Connecticut to a national title, has opted to keep his name in the draft rather than return to the Huskies for another season, writes ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Jackson is projected to be taken late in the first round or early in the second round, Wojnarowski adds. The junior shooting guard ranks 32nd on ESPN’s big board and is projected to go to the Pacers with the 32nd pick in the latest mock draft by Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

“My time at UCONN has been filled with ups and downs but through it all I built relationships with my teammates, coaches, friends and fans that will last forever,” Jackson wrote in a Twitter post. “I’ve made so many memories playing in that jersey and I will miss it. But I’ll always be a husky. Thank you.”

Jackson averaged 6.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.3 steals in six tournament games and was believed to have raised his draft stock significantly, although questions remain about his outside shooting. He took part in the draft combine and went through individual workouts with several teams, including the Hawks, Celtics, Nets, Pacers and Trail Blazers, according to Wojnarowski.

Dozens of draft decisions were announced Wednesday ahead of the 11:59 pm EDT deadline to return to school without losing eligibility. Most late deciders opted to pull out of the draft, but a few prominent names will remain in the pool. They are:

National Player of the Year Zach Edey will withdraw from the draft and return to Purdue for another year, according to Jeff Borzello of ESPN. The 7’4″ center averaged 22.9 points and 12.9 rebounds as a junior while shooting 60.7% from the field. Even so, his draft status wasn’t certain as he’s No. 47 in the ESPN rankings.

Another prominent player pulling out of the draft is Virginia’s Reece Beekman, the ACC’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Givony reports. Beekman hopes to boost his draft stock for 2024 after coming in at 43rd in ESPN’s rankings. “I’ve decided to go back to UVA to work towards being a first-round draft pick next year and finish my degree,” he said.

Here are some more players who decided late Wednesday to take their names out of the draft:

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NBA Reveals Players Expected At 2023 Draft Combine

May 9th, 2023 at 6:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA has announced 78 players that are expected to attend this year’s draft combine, scheduled for May 15-21 at in Chicago, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets.

Additionally, a select number of standout players from the G League Elite Camp, which takes place May 13-14 in Chicago, will be invited to participate in the combine.

Players will have interviews with NBA teams and participate in five-on-five scrimmages, as well as shooting, strength and agility drills. Some top prospects opt out of the scrimmages.

Victor Wembanyama, the projected top pick, is not on the list. His French League season is still ongoing.

The list of invitees is as follows:

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Mouhamed Gueye Among NCAA Players Testing Draft Waters

March 26th, 2023 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

For a second straight year, Washington State big man Mouhamed Gueye will test the NBA draft waters, he tells Jamey Vinnick of CougFan.com (subscription required). Gueye also entered the draft pool in 2022 following his freshman year, but eventually withdrew and returned to the Cougars.

Gueye enjoyed a breakout season in 2022/23, averaging 14.3 points and 8.4 rebounds in 32.1 minutes per game across 33 appearances. He currently comes in at No. 48 on ESPN’s big board, making him a legitimate candidate to be drafted if he keeps his name in the 2023 pool.

Gueye also stated that he doesn’t intend to enter the transfer portal, so if he withdraws from the draft for a second consecutive year, it sounds like he’d be back with Washington State.

The following NCAA players are also declaring for the 2023 NBA draft, having made their announcements at some point within the last several days. Unless otherwise indicated, these players are simply testing the draft waters while maintaining their college eligibility for now.

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