4:58pm: Alexander is indeed entering the draft, Kansas coach Bill Self announced.
4:26pm: Kansas freshman Cliff Alexander intends to enter this year’s NBA draft, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The big man’s season came to an early end on February 28th when Alexander was ruled ineligible due to an NCAA investigation into his family’s finances. The Jayhawks made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament this season before falling to Wichita State.
The 6’8″ forward entered the season as a potential lottery selection, but his inconsistent play caused his stock to plummet. Alexander is currently ranked No. 32 by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and No. 39 overall by Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required). These projections peg Alexander as a likely second-rounder this June.
In 28 appearances for the Jayhawks this season, the 19-year-old averaged 7.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 17.6 minutes per contest. Alexander’s shooting numbers were .566/.000/.671.