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Draft Decisions: Gueye, Jackson, Bates, Hunter, Omier, More

May 19th, 2023 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

Washington State sophomore big man Mouhamed Gueye will keep his name in the 2023 NBA draft, a source tells Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Gueye has been taking part in the draft combine this week in Chicago, so the feedback he has received there presumably factored into his decision.

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. 47 on ESPN’s big board, making him a solid candidate to be drafted.

Here are a few more updates on early entrants who are deciding whether or not to remain in the draft:

  • Although UConn junior guard Andre Jackson is still technically testing the draft waters, his comments at the combine strongly suggest he’s planning to stay in this year’s draft, as Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com writes. Discussing UConn’s chances of repeating as NCAA champions next season, Jackson said that he’s “probably going to be out.” He’s currently the No. 30 prospect on ESPN’s big board.
  • Butler forward Manny Bates doesn’t show up on ESPN’s list of this year’s top 100 prospects, but he has decided to remain in the draft and go pro, agent Marquiest Gadson tells Rothstein (Twitter link).
  • Texas guard Tyrese Hunter has opted to return to the Longhorns for his junior season, he announced on Instagram. He tested the draft waters after averaging 10.3 PPG and 3.0 RPG as a sophomore.
  • Miami forward Norchad Omier is pulling out of the draft and returning to the Hurricanes for his senior season, reports Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). Omier was among the prospects who took part in the G League Elite Camp last weekend.
  • Senior center Qudus Wahab is withdrawing from the draft and will transfer from Georgetown to Penn State for his final year of NCAA eligibility, tweets Rothstein. Wahab put up 9.6 PPG and 7.1 RPG as the Hoyas’ primary starting center last season.
  • Purdue big man Zach Edey may take his draft decision down to the wire, gathering as much information as he can before making a call, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “I really won’t know my answer for what I’m doing until basically the deadline,” said Edey, who is considered a candidate to be picked in the second round.
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Gradey Dick, Colby Jones, Others Declare For NBA Draft

March 31st, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Kansas freshman guard Gradey Dick announced on ESPN’s NBA Today on Friday that he has decided to enter the 2023 NBA draft and go pro, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, writes Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Dick had a solid year in his first and only college season, averaging 14.1 PPG and 5.1 RPG with a shooting line of .442/.403/.854 in 36 games (32.7 MPG) for the Jayhawks. He projects as a potential lottery pick, according to Givony, who has Dick ranked at No. 11 on his latest big board. Givony describes the 6’8″ wing as a player with “a high floor and plenty of upside left to tap into.”

Meanwhile, Xavier guard Colby Jones announced on Instagram that he’ll declare for the draft following a junior year in which he put up 15.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 4.4 APG with solid shooting percentages of 50.9% from the floor and 37.8% on three-pointers. He’ll forgo his remaining eligibility and go pro too, he confirms to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link).

Givony, who has Jones ranked 29th overall at ESPN, writes that his “passing ability and all-around feel for the game” are two of his most appealing traits as a prospect, adding that he has also shown defensive toughness.

Finally, Houston guard Marcus Sasser also intends to enter the draft and it sounds like he’ll forgo his final year of eligibility. The announcement he made on Instagram includes no indication that he’s leaving the door open to return to school.

Sasser averaged 17.0 PPG, 3.0 APG, and 2.8 RPG on .438/.399/.826 shooting across 48 games (31.1 MPG) during his final two years with the Cougars. He currently comes in as the No. 36 prospect on ESPN’s top-100 list.

Here are more of the prospects who recently declared for the 2023 draft:

Expected to remain in draft:

Testing the draft waters:

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Draft Notes: Aimaq, Maldonado, Lofton, Roberts, More

March 22nd, 2022 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Utah Valley big man Fardaws Aimaq is testing the NBA draft waters and has entered the NCAA’s transfer portal, he tells Travis Branham of 247Sports.com (Twitter link). Aimaq, who also declared for the draft in 2021 before eventually withdrawing, had a big junior year, averaging 18.9 PPG, 13.6 RPG, and 1.3 BPG in 32 games (34.4 MPG) for Utah Valley.

Wyoming shooting guard Hunter Maldonado will also enter the draft while retaining his remaining year of NCAA eligibility, he announced on Twitter. As a senior in 2021/22, he put up 18.5 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 5.7 RPG in 33 games (37.3 MPG). He has one more year of eligibility left due to the adjustments the NCAA made in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like Aimaq and Maldonado, Louisiana Tech sophomore forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. will test the draft waters this spring, announcing his decision today on Twitter. In 33 games (27.0 MPG) this season, Lofton averaged a double-double, posting 16.5 PPG and 10.5 RPG to go along with 2.8 APG and 1.2 SPG.

Finally, Washington junior forward/center Nate Roberts announced on Twitter that he’s entering the draft and intends to sign with an agent. Roberts, who started all 32 games he played for Washington this season, wasn’t much of an offensive threat, averaging 5.5 PPG, but he was the team’s leading rebounder (7.5 RPG).

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

  • Following the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz (Insider link) evaluated how several of the top prospects fared and updated their mock draft.
  • Meanwhile, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic focused on the top players from a few of the tournament’s Cinderella teams, exploring whether Tyrese Hunter (Iowa State), Hunter Dickinson (Michigan), and Kameron McGusty (Miami), among others, are viable NBA prospects.
  • The Pistons would be the ideal landing spot for Chet Holmgren, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, who ranks the top 11 fits for the Gonzaga big man. O’Connor’s list only includes lottery-bound teams that will have a realistic shot at drafting Holmgren with a top pick.
  • Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) thinks there’s a noticeable drop-off after the top four prospects in this year’s draft (Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith, and Jaden Ivey). Jeff Goodman of Stadium disagrees, tweeting that the 2022 class is much stronger throughout the lottery than people give it credit for.
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