San Diego State junior point guard Malachi Flynn has elected to enter the 2020 NBA draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility, as he tells ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Flynn, who transferred to the Aztecs after starting his college career at Washington State, had a breakout season in 2019/20, averaging 17.6 PPG, 5.1 APG, 4.5 RPG, and 1.8 SPG with a .441/.373/.857 shooting line in 32 games (33.4 MPG). He was named the Mountain West Player and Defensive Player of the Year.
With a 30-2 record, San Diego State was in position for a top seed in the NCAA tournament, and Flynn told Givony he regrets not getting an opportunity to attempt a Final Four run.
“It was a tough decision deciding to declare,” Flynn said. “One of the biggest things that had me wanting to come back was not playing in March Madness. I talked to a lot of people about it, especially my family. My coaches were on board with me going all-in and trying to make a name for myself at the next level, which helped me out a lot. I think I showed teams enough, and it was time to make that step and move forward to the NBA.”
Currently the No. 43 overall prospect on ESPN’s big board, Flynn would have been a strong contender to go in the first round if he had led the Aztecs to a few March Madness wins, writes Givony.
Here are more updates on players declaring for the draft:
- UMass-Lowell junior guard Obadiah Noel and LSU sophomore forward Darius Days are entering the draft while hiring agent Austin Walton of Next Sports, a source tells Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). Because Walton is NCAA-certified, Noel and Days will retain their college eligibility throughout the process.
- 18-year-old Greek forward Nikos Rogkavopoulos, a member of AEK Athens, has entered the 2020 draft, writes Stefan Djordjevic of EuroHoops.
- A pair of Turkish prospects, 21-year-old shooting guard Sehmus Hazer and 21-year-old power forward Yigitcan Saybir, have declared for the draft, per Bugra Uzar of EuroHoops. Hazer plays for Teksut Bandirma, while Saybir is a member of Anadolu Efes.