If not for the coronavirus pandemic, the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament would have taken place over the last few days, with draft hopefuls getting a chance to show their skills – and potentially improve their stock – on a national stage.
Instead, college basketball – like virtually every other sport in North America – has been shut down indefinitely, leaving possible early entrants for the 2020 draft to make their decisions under unusual circumstances.
Here are a few updates on college players who may end up being part of the 2020 NBA draft class:
- A report earlier this month indicated that Jordan Bruner is expected to declare for the draft and go pro. However, as Evan Daniels of 247Sports details, the former Yale forward has also entered the NCAA transfer portal and is drawing plenty of interest. Bruner explained to Daniels that he wants to keep his options open, given the uncertainty created by the coronavirus crisis. “I’d like to keep my options open and hear what NBA scouts and other people think I’m capable of and what they think about me,” he said. “I don’t want to get stuck in a place where I can’t play in college if I want to.”
- Buffalo junior guard Jayvon Graves announced on Twitter that he intends to test the draft waters. Graves bumped his scoring average from 9.7 PPG as a sophomore to 17.1 PPG as a junior, chipping in 5.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.2 SPG in 32 games (34.4 MPG) for Buffalo.
- Ohio State forward Alonzo Gaffney won’t be returning to the Buckeyes for his sophomore season, sources tell Brian Snow of 247Sports. According to Snow, Gaffney – who played very limited minutes as a freshman – will likely pursue professional opportunities rather than transferring to another college program.
Gaffney averaged 1.8 ppg and 1.4 rpg at Ohio State playing behind NOBODY that’s goin to the NBA, but “is not returning to Ohio State… to pursue professional opportunities.”
Yeah, if playing in Slovakia for $2,400 per month (if that) on a team comparable to Ohio State’s scout team is worth giving up 3 years of NCAA eligibility for….
Then again, for many, simply “playing overseas” gives the illusion to so many of your “followers” that you’re making great money as a “pro”, and, unfortunately, that’s all many of these kids are worried about.
$2,400/month is a very respectable money, not many people makes that! You must be loaded if you think it ain’t worth to make a very nice living & playing the game you love, that is worth more than any amount of money, IMO!
If you say so lol
8 months… $2,400 per month?
That’s a hoop job you take if you played 4 years of college ball at a mid-major, and (maybe) made All-Conference once, and are trying to pursue pro ball anywhere you can. You don’t trade 3 years of major college eligibility for 24 hundred LOL!
I must be loaded if I think 20 grand is not a nice living playing ball???? Sheesh… this is a rough site lol