After winning a pair of national championships as a starting forward at UConn, Alex Karaban will return to the Huskies for his junior year in search of a third consecutive title, he announced today (via Twitter).
The No. 36 prospect on ESPN’s big board, Karaban had been testing the NBA draft waters but will withdraw his name from the 2024 pool in order to retain his college eligibility. He averaged 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 31.4 minutes per game as a redshirt sophomore and has made 38.9% of his three-point attempts across his two college seasons.
Big man Ugonna Onyenso, who spent his first two college seasons at Kentucky, has also opted to withdraw from the NBA draft, agent Daniel Hazan tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).
Onyenso told Givony last month when he initially declared for the draft that he was “100% focused on the NBA” and wasn’t thinking about “coming back to play college basketball.” However, it appears he changed his mind after getting some feedback from teams during the pre-draft process. The No. 68 player on ESPN’s big board is in the transfer portal and still has to determine where to spend his junior season, Givony notes.
Meanwhile, another player on ESPN’s board (at No. 52), Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II has decided to keep his name in the draft and forgo his final year of college eligibility, as he announced on Instagram.
The Atlantic 10’s Defensive Player of the Year and co-Player of the Year in 2023/24, Holmes averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.1 blocks in 32.5 minutes per game for the Flyers, posting an impressive shooting line of .544/.386/.713 in 33 games (all starts).
Here are more of today’s draft decisions from early entrants ahead of the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline:
Withdrawing from the draft:
- Swingman Chibuzo Agbo will transfer from Boise State to USC for his super-senior season (Twitter link via Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports).
- Northwestern swingman Brooks Barnhizer will return to school for his senior season (Twitter link via Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68).
- Guard Johnell Davis will transfer from Florida Atlantic to Kansas for his super-senior season (Twitter link via Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN).
- Guard Garwey Dual will return to school for his sophomore season. He played at Providence last season but is in the transfer portal now (Twitter link via Givony).
- St. Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming will return to school for his junior season (Twitter link via Rothstein).
- Clemson guard Chase Hunter will return to school for his super-senior season (Instagram link).
- Forward Arthur Kaluma will return to school for his senior season. He played at Kansas State last season but is in the transfer portal now (Twitter link via Jeff Borzello of ESPN).
- Forward Baba Miller will transfer from Florida State to Florida Atlantic for his junior season (Twitter link via Givony).
- Southern Idaho center Shahid Muhammad will return to school for his junior season (Twitter link via Rothstein).
- UIC swingman Toby Okani will return to school for his super-senior season (Twitter link via Goodman).
Remaining in the draft:
- Memphis senior forward David Jones will stay in the draft and forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility (Twitter link via Givony).
- Bowling Green State sophomore guard JZ Zaher will stay in the draft and forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility (Twitter link via Rothstein).
DaRon Holmes going to surprise many and be that one rookie who gets drafted in the late first/second round and straight away looks like an all rookie first team player.
I don’t know since late picks are usually the “Winning/all in” orgs and they don’t really play rookies.
Pacers never seemed to play that Walker guy,
Nuggest didn’t play Strawther or the other rookies. Nnaji never really plays.
Clips didn’t play rookies
Bucks barely played Jackson
Sixers don’t really play them
Pels didn’t play Hawkins despite needing shooting
Lakers drafted Hood Scifino and didn’t play him
Walker was a lottery pick, JHS and Hawkins were both in the middle of the draft.
But in saying that you had Podzi taken by GSW and make the 1st rookie team and he was selected 19th and GG obviously made the second team as a second round pick. TJD was also very close to all rookie and he was the second to last pick in the second.
But if happens every year, 22/23 Walker Kessler, 21/22 Herb Jones, Bones Hyland and Ayo, 20/21 JaeSean Tate undrafted and all rookie first team, IQ and Bane.
DaRon is going to be that guy drafted 20 or later and have a terrific season and people will be like why was he drafted so low.
A PF who was a defensive player of the year, co player of the year and averaged 20 points per game shooting 38% from 3 …
Smart move by Karaban, he is not a lottery pick in this “Weaker” draft. Go back and play an even bigger role at Uconn. You either boost stock or become a college legend.
Surprised Baba Miller didn’t do the draft.
Ungonna was in my second round pick.
Karaban better help them win again, it would look good
D Holmes is nice
David Jones is decent too
JZ Zaher has declared for the draft. Those stats look really good….