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Johnny Furphy Staying In Draft; Hawkins, Watkins Among Withdrawals

May 29th, 2024 at 11:28pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Kansas wing Johnny Furphy, ESPN’s No. 18-ranked prospect in the 2024 class, is staying in the NBA draft, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link).

Furphy’s had a meteoric rise as a prospect, going from a virtual unknown out of the NBA Global Academy to a projected top-20 pick. According to Givony, Furphy “toyed” with the idea of returning to Kansas but received enough assurances regarding his draft status that he opted to stay in.

Furphy didn’t become a full-time starter until mid-January, averaging 11.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and connecting on 34.9% of his three-pointers after doing so.

On the other hand, former Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins is withdrawing from the draft and will transfer, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). He’s expected to earn a massive NIL deal wherever he ends up.

When he declared for the draft, Hawkins suggested that he would be staying in the draft class and forgoing his remaining college eligibility, but it appears he had a change of heart, having deleted the original Twitter post announcing his intentions. He’ll return for his super-senior season after spending his first four collegiate years at Illinois. He averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest last year.

Former Florida State wing Jamir Watkins also withdrew from the draft moments before the 11:59 pm Eastern deadline, according to Givony (Twitter link). Like Hawkins, Watkins didn’t mention anything about possibly returning to school when he entered, so his withdrawal is somewhat surprising.

Watkins averaged 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game in his junior season at Florida State. He spent the first two years of his college career at VCU and is now in the transfer portal again this offseason.

Here are more of the latest draft decisions from early entrants ahead of the tonight’s NCAA withdrawal deadline:

Withdrawing from the draft:

  • Iowa’s Payton Sandfort is returning to play for the Hawkeyes in his senior season, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein (Twitter link). Sandfort averaged 16.4 PPG while connecting on 37.9% of his 7.3 three-pointers per game last season, establishing himself as one of the best sharpshooters in the class. He ranked at No. 46 on ESPN’s best-available list.
  • Hunter Sallis is returning to Wake Forest for his senior season after averaging 18.0 PPG in his first season in Winston-Salem (Twitter link via Rothstein). Sallis ranked as ESPN’s No. 55 prospect after being named to the All-ACC First Team in 2023/24. He played at Gonzaga before transferring to Wake Forest.
  • Alabama center/forward Jarin Stevenson joins Mark Sears in returning to the Crimson Tide (Twitter link via Givony). Stevenson, who would’ve been one of the youngest players in the draft class, helped Alabama to a Final Four appearance this year next to Sears. He averaged 5.3 PPG in his freshman season and, according to Givony, will be “closely monitored” as a sophomore (Twitter link).
  • Overtime Elite center Somto Cyril is departing the program and will play for Georgia next season rather than staying in the draft (Twitter link via Rothstein).

Staying in the draft:

  • New Mexico State guard Deshawndre Washington is fully in the draft, according to Rothstein (Twitter link). He averaged 11.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game as a 6’6″ guard. Washington also spent time at Robert Morris, South Suburban (IL) College and Northwest Florida State College.

With the NCAA’s 11:59 pm Eastern deadline passing as of the time of this article, most key collegiate players have determined one way or another whether they’re staying in or exiting the draft. However, there are a few potential draftees whose intentions haven’t been reported or announced.

Harrison Ingram (No. 43 on ESPN’s top 100), Jaxson Robinson (No. 66) and PJ Hall (No. 69) are among the names we are waiting to hear from. It’s important to note that a previous report indicated Ingram planned on staying in but he hasn’t officially renounced his eligibility yet. Robinson’s announcement also made it sound like he was staying in the draft but he has ties to current Kentucky coach Mark Pope and may opt to return and transfer there.

Early entrants are, of course, under no obligation to formally announce their intentions one way or another — they just had to submit the paperwork to withdraw from the draft by 11:59 pm. So we’ll find out about these players, and more, soon. The NBA’s withdrawal deadline is June 16 at 5:00 pm Eastern, so non-NCAA early entrants (including international players) will have to make their decisions by that date.

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Draft Notes: Omier, Roach, Shulga, Diarra, Warrick, More

May 22nd, 2024 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

After spending their senior years at Miami and Duke, respectively, forward Norchad Omier and guard Jeremy Roach entered the 2024 NBA draft pool this spring. However, as Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets, both Omier and Roach have opted to withdraw from the draft and take advantage of their extra year of NCAA eligibility by playing at Baylor as “super-seniors” in 2024/25.

Omier, who began his college career at Arkansas State, has averaged a double-double in each of his four seasons, including putting up 17.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game for the Hurricanes last season. A Miami Herald report last month stated that Omier had hired an agent and was expected to go pro, but his representative (Adam Godes) is NCAA-certified, which allowed the forward to test the waters and remove his name from the draft without forgoing his final year of college eligibility.

Roach, meanwhile, enjoyed the best season of his college career in 2023/24, averaging 14.0 PPG, 3.3 APG, and 2.5 RPG on .468/.429/.844 shooting in 35 games (32.7 MPG) for the Blue Devils.

Here’s more on the 2024 draft:

  • Guard Max Shulga, who spent his senior season at VCU in 2023/24, is withdrawing from the draft and will return to the Rams rather than transferring, despite reports that he had committed to Villanova, according to Rothstein (Twitter link). Shulga, VCU’s leading scorer with 14.0 PPG last season, will be automatically draft-eligible in 2025.
  • North Carolina State forward Mohamed Diarra will remain in the 2024 draft and go pro, a source tells Rothstein (Twitter link). That was the expectation for Diarra, who didn’t say anything about maintaining his college eligibility when he announced last month that he was entering the draft.
  • Marques Warrick, a four-time All-Horizon guard at Northern Kentucky, is pulling out of the draft and transferring to Missouri for his final college season, tweets Rothstein.
  • ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (Insider link) have published their post-combine mock draft, with Alexandre Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher in the top two spots, followed by Kentucky teammates Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. Givony and Woo have former No. 1 prospect Ron Holland slipping to 11th overall and going to the Bulls.
  • Former Illinois big man Coleman Hawkins will work out for the Warriors on Thursday and the Kings on Friday, according to Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento (Twitter link).
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Draft Notes: Combine, Players To Watch, Wells, Kalkbrenner, Salaun

May 11th, 2024 at 8:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

Prospects are in Chicago for an important week of pre-draft activities, write Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN. After the draft lottery takes place on Sunday, players will participate in the three-day combine from Monday through Wednesday. Also set this week are the G League Elite camp, which began today, and agency pro days, all of which will give NBA scouts and executives an up-close look at an unsettled draft pool.

Through an agreement with the players union, the NBA is requiring all invited prospects to take part in the combine. However, they will still be given the option to skip the scrimmages, with Givony and Woo noting that 37 combine participants declined to play in the scrimmages last year.

Numerous players at this year’s combine have retained the option to withdraw from the draft, the authors add, so the process could affect the balance of power in college basketball. Givony and Woo identify Kansas’ Johnny Furphy, USC’s Bronny James, Minnesota’s Cam Christie, Washington State’s Jaylen Wells, BYU’s Jaxson Robinson, Alabama’s Mark Sears, New Mexico’s JT Toppin, Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins, Florida State’s Jamir Watkins and North Florida’s Chaz Lanier as some of the top names who could opt to return to school.

There’s more on the draft:

  • Cam Christie is among the players in position to significantly improve their draft stock this week, Givony and Woo add. They say the brother of Lakers guard Max Christie has “plenty of fans” among NBA scouts after a strong freshman season with the Golden Gophers. Christie, who ranks 36th on ESPN’s Big Board, has a chance to move into the first round with a good showing at the combine. However, he’s also in the NCAA’s transfer portal and has options available if he stays in school. Other players to watch, according to Givony and Woo, are Wells, Watkins, Iowa’s Payton Sandfort and UConn’s Alex Karaban.
  • The NBA has officially confirmed (via Twitter) that Jaylen Wells has been invited to the combine and Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner has withdrawn from the draft. The Wells invitation was reported earlier this week, and Kalkbrenner’s decision had been expected.
  • Potential lottery pick Tidjane Salaun won’t be available for the combine after his Cholet team qualified for the playoffs in France, Givony tweets. The 6’10” power forward is 15th in ESPN’s latest rankings.
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NBA Announces 78 Invitees For 2024 Draft Combine

May 3rd, 2024 at 5:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced today (via Twitter) that 78 prospects have been invited to attend this year’s draft combine, which will take place in Chicago from May 12-19.

In addition to those 78 players, a handful of standout players from the G League Elite Camp, which is also held in Chicago just before the combine begins, are expected to receive invites to stick around for the main event.

Not all of the prospects invited to the combine will end up remaining in the 2024 draft pool, since some are early entrants who are testing the waters while retaining their NCAA eligibility. College players must withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on May 29 if they wish to preserve that eligibility, while non-college players face a decision deadline of June 16. The feedback they receive from NBA teams at the combine may be a deciding factor for players who are on the fence.

Here’s the list of players who have been invited to the 2024 draft combine:

(Note: For players in international leagues, the country listed is where they had been playing, not necessarily where they’re from.)

  1. Michael Ajayi, F, Pepperdine (junior)
  2. Melvin Ajinca, G/F, France (born 2004)
  3. Trey Alexander, G, Creighton (junior)
  4. Izan Almansa, F, G League Ignite (born 2005)
  5. Reece Beekman, G, Virginia (senior)
  6. Adem Bona, F/C, UCLA (sophomore)
  7. Trevon Brazile, F, Arkansas (sophomore)
  8. Jalen Bridges, F, Baylor (senior)
  9. Matas Buzelis, F, G League Ignite (born 2004)
  10. Carlton Carrington, G, Pitt (freshman)
  11. Devin Carter, G, Providence (junior)
  12. Stephon Castle, G, UConn (freshman)
  13. Ulrich Chomche, C, NBA Academy Africa (born 2005)
  14. Cam Christie, G, Minnesota (freshman)
  15. Nique Clifford, G, Colorado State (senior)
  16. Donovan Clingan, C, UConn (sophomore)
  17. Isaiah Collier, G, USC (freshman)
  18. Tristan Da Silva, F, Colorado (senior)
  19. Pacome Dadiet, G/F, Germany (born 2005)
  20. N’Faly Dante, C, Oregon (super-senior)
  21. Rob Dillingham, G, Kentucky (freshman)
  22. Nikola Djurisic, G/F, Serbia (born 2004)
  23. Ryan Dunn, F, Virginia (sophomore)
  24. Zach Edey, C, Purdue (senior)
  25. Justin Edwards, G/F, Kentucky (freshman)
  26. Kyle Filipowski, F/C, Duke (sophomore)
  27. Trentyn Flowers, G/F, Australia (born 2005)
  28. Johnny Furphy, G/F, Kansas (freshman)
  29. Kyshawn George, G/F, Miami (FL) (freshman)
  30. Tyon Grant-Foster, G, Grand Canyon (senior)
  31. PJ Hall, C, Clemson (senior)
  32. Coleman Hawkins, F, Illinois (senior)
  33. Ron Holland, F, G League Ignite (born 2005)
  34. DaRon Holmes II, F, Dayton (junior)
  35. Ariel Hukporti, C, Germany (born 2002)
  36. Oso Ighodaro, F, Marquette (senior)
  37. Harrison Ingram, F, UNC (junior)
  38. Bronny James, G, USC (freshman)
  39. A.J. Johnson, G, Australia (born 2004)
  40. Keshad Johnson, F, Arizona (super-senior)
  41. David Jones, F, Memphis (senior)
  42. Dillon Jones, F, Weber State (senior)
  43. Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton (senior)
    • Note: Kalkbrenner indicated this week that he intends to return to school, so it’s unclear if he’ll continue to go through the pre-draft process.
  44. Alex Karaban, F, UConn (sophomore)
  45. Bobi Klintman, F, Australia (born 2003)
  46. Dalton Knecht, G, Tennessee (super-senior)
  47. Tyler Kolek, G, Marquette (senior)
  48. Pelle Larsson, G, Arizona (senior)
  49. Jared McCain, G, Duke (freshman)
  50. Kevin McCullar, G, Kansas (super-senior)
  51. Yves Missi, C, Baylor (freshman)
  52. Ajay Mitchell, G, UC Santa Barbara (junior)
  53. Jonathan Mogbo, F/C, San Francisco (senior)
  54. Tristen Newton, G, UConn (super-senior)
  55. Juan Nunez, G, Germany (born 2004)
  56. Quinten Post, F/C, Boston College (super-senior)
  57. Antonio Reeves, G, Kentucky (super-senior)
  58. Zaccharie Risacher, F, France (born 2005)
  59. Jaxson Robinson, G/F, BYU (senior)
  60. Tidjane Salaun, F, France (born 2005)
  61. Hunter Sallis, G, Wake Forest (junior)
  62. Payton Sandfort, G/F, Iowa (junior)
  63. Alexandre Sarr, F/C, Australia (born 2005)
  64. Baylor Scheierman, G/F, Creighton (super-senior)
  65. Mark Sears, G, Alabama (senior)
  66. Terrence Shannon, G, Illinois (super-senior)
  67. Jamal Shead, G, Houston (senior)
  68. Reed Sheppard, G, Kentucky (freshman)
  69. KJ Simpson, G, Colorado (junior)
  70. Tyler Smith, F, G League Ignite (born 2004)
  71. Cam Spencer, G, UConn (super-senior)
  72. Nikola Topic, G, Serbia (born 2005)
  73. JT Toppin, F, New Mexico (freshman)
  74. Jaylon Tyson, G, California (junior)
  75. Ja’Kobe Walter, G, Baylor (freshman)
  76. Kel’el Ware, C, Indiana (sophomore)
  77. Jamir Watkins, G/F, Florida State (junior)
  78. Cody Williams, F, Colorado (freshman)

It’s worth noting that the NBA and the NBPA agreed to a few combine-related changes in their latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here are a few of those changes:

  • A player who is invited to the draft combine and declines to attend without an excused absence will be ineligible to be drafted. He would become eligible the following year by attending the combine. There will be exceptions made for a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child).
  • Players who attend the draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, share medical history, participate in strength, agility, and performance testing, take part in shooting drills, receive anthropometric measurements, and conduct interviews with teams and the media. Scrimmages won’t be mandatory.
  • Medical results from the combine will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.

Regarding that last point, Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link) has the details on the top 10 played out this year, noting that the composite ranking was generated based on a combination of publicly available rankings and feedback from a panel of experts, as well as a retained-scouting service.

Sarr is considered the No. 1 overall prospect, per Givony, so only teams drafting in the top 10 will get access to his medicals. Buzelis, Castle, Clingan, Risacher, and Topic are in the 2-6 range, while Dillingham, Holland, Knecht, and Sheppard round out the top 10.

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Izan Almansa, Jaxson Robinson Among Draft’s Latest Early Entrants

April 24th, 2024 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

Izan Almansa, a 6’10” Spanish power forward, has announced on Instagram that he’s declaring for the 2024 NBA draft. Almansa came stateside in 2021 and spent two years with the Overtime Elite program before joining the G League Ignite for 2023/24.

Almansa appeared in 48 total Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Ignite, averaging 10.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 27.3 minutes per contest. He made 54.3% of his shots from the floor, but only attempted 35 three-pointers all season (he made seven) and hit just 54.0% of his free throws.

Viewed by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic last August as a potential lottery pick, Almansa has fallen all the way to No. 52 on Vecenie’s latest big board for 2024. ESPN’s draft experts are a little higher on the 18-year-old, placing him at No. 37 on their top-100 list.

Here are a few more early entrants who have recently declared for the NBA draft:

  • BYU senior wing Jaxson Robinson is entering the 2024 draft, he announced on Twitter. Robinson, who played for Texas A&M and Arkansas earlier in his college career, enjoyed a breakout season in 2023/24, averaging 14.2 points per game on .426/.354/.908 shooting. The No. 55 prospect on ESPN’s board, he was named the Big 12’s Sixth Man of the Year after starting just six of 33 games.
  • Illinois senior forward Coleman Hawkins, the No. 86 prospect on ESPN’s top-100 list, revealed on Twitter that he’s entering the NBA draft and suggested within his announcement he plans to forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility. Hawkins, who also declared for the draft a year ago before withdrawing, has been a full-time starter for the Fighting Illini for the past two seasons. He put up 12.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 1.5 SPG with a .369 3PT% in 2023/24.
  • Kansas State junior forward Arthur Kaluma has announced on Instagram that he’s entering the 2024 draft. Kaluma averaged 14.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 2.0 APG with a shooting line of .427/.345/.747 in his first season with the Wildcats after two years at Creighton. He first tested the draft waters in 2023.
  • French forward Mohamed Diawara, who has spent the past few seasons under contract with Paris Basketball and will turn 19 next Monday, has declared for the draft, according to agent Olivier Mazet (Twitter link).
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Draft Decisions: A. Jackson, Edey, Beekman, More

May 31st, 2023 at 11:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Andre Jackson Jr., who helped lead Connecticut to a national title, has opted to keep his name in the draft rather than return to the Huskies for another season, writes ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Jackson is projected to be taken late in the first round or early in the second round, Wojnarowski adds. The junior shooting guard ranks 32nd on ESPN’s big board and is projected to go to the Pacers with the 32nd pick in the latest mock draft by Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

“My time at UCONN has been filled with ups and downs but through it all I built relationships with my teammates, coaches, friends and fans that will last forever,” Jackson wrote in a Twitter post. “I’ve made so many memories playing in that jersey and I will miss it. But I’ll always be a husky. Thank you.”

Jackson averaged 6.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.3 steals in six tournament games and was believed to have raised his draft stock significantly, although questions remain about his outside shooting. He took part in the draft combine and went through individual workouts with several teams, including the Hawks, Celtics, Nets, Pacers and Trail Blazers, according to Wojnarowski.

Dozens of draft decisions were announced Wednesday ahead of the 11:59 pm EDT deadline to return to school without losing eligibility. Most late deciders opted to pull out of the draft, but a few prominent names will remain in the pool. They are:

National Player of the Year Zach Edey will withdraw from the draft and return to Purdue for another year, according to Jeff Borzello of ESPN. The 7’4″ center averaged 22.9 points and 12.9 rebounds as a junior while shooting 60.7% from the field. Even so, his draft status wasn’t certain as he’s No. 47 in the ESPN rankings.

Another prominent player pulling out of the draft is Virginia’s Reece Beekman, the ACC’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Givony reports. Beekman hopes to boost his draft stock for 2024 after coming in at 43rd in ESPN’s rankings. “I’ve decided to go back to UVA to work towards being a first-round draft pick next year and finish my degree,” he said.

Here are some more players who decided late Wednesday to take their names out of the draft:

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Western Notes: Jazz Picks, Warriors, Bridges, Suns

May 26th, 2023 at 8:47pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz currently control the Nos. 9, 16 and 28 picks in the upcoming draft, though it isn’t certain they’ll actually retain all three first-rounders. A lead ball-handler is reportedly high on their list of targets.

With that in mind, Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscriber link) lists six prospects the Jazz may be interested in with their lottery pick, including Arkansas guard Anthony Black, Kansas wing Gradey Dick, and UCF forward Taylor Hendricks. Walden concedes some of the players on his list may not be available at No. 9.

Here’s more from the West:

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NBA Reveals Players Expected At 2023 Draft Combine

May 9th, 2023 at 6:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA has announced 78 players that are expected to attend this year’s draft combine, scheduled for May 15-21 at in Chicago, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets.

Additionally, a select number of standout players from the G League Elite Camp, which takes place May 13-14 in Chicago, will be invited to participate in the combine.

Players will have interviews with NBA teams and participate in five-on-five scrimmages, as well as shooting, strength and agility drills. Some top prospects opt out of the scrimmages.

Victor Wembanyama, the projected top pick, is not on the list. His French League season is still ongoing.

The list of invitees is as follows:

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Draft Notes: Sanogo, Jackson, Tshiebwe, Bates, Droppers

April 30th, 2023 at 8:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Adama Sanogo and Andre Jackson Jr. were two key contributors to UConn’s national championship season. Both players have been invited to the NBA Combine in Chicago in May. Adam Zagoria tweets.

Jackson, a combo guard, is a potential first-rounder. He’s currently ranked No. 30 on ESPN’s Best Available list. Despite a stellar college career, Sanogo may have to open some eyes during the pre-draft process in order to get drafted. He’s currently ranked No.  87.

We have more draft-related items:

  • Kentucky’s star big man Oscar Tshiebwe hasn’t ruled out returning to college but he’s got a number of workouts lined up, Zagoria adds in another tweet. Tshiebwe has already scheduled workouts with the Celtics, Bucks, Rockets and Kings. He averaged 16.5 PPG and 13.7 RPG this past season and is currently ranked No. 66 on ESPN’s list.
  • Will guard Emoni Bates get drafted? The Athletic’s Shams Charania, John Hollinger and Brendan Quinn explore that question. Bates averaged 19.2 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 30 games with Eastern Michigan after a tumultuous freshman campaign with Memphis. Bates catches scouts’ attention with his high-level shot-making but doesn’t offer much else, according to The Athletic trio. He’s ranked No. 56 by ESPN and No. 78 by The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie.
  • What do Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins, Houston’s Marcus Sasser and Arizona’s Azuolas Tubelis have in common? They are some of the players who have seen their draft stock decline heading into the combine, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
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Draft Notes: Hawkins, Shead, Lawrence, Sharavjamts, Powell, Mitchell

March 28th, 2023 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Illinois power forward Coleman Hawkins will enter the 2023 NBA draft while maintaining his remaining NCAA eligibility, he tells Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today.

Hawkins is currently the No. 49 prospect on ESPN’s big board, so he’s a good candidate to be drafted if he doesn’t return to school. However, he’s undecided about going pro, telling Rothstein that he likes the idea of contending for an NCAA championship.

“I want to be on a roster that has a chance to do something big — win a national title,” Hawkins said. “I hope if I do come back that we will have a more veteran team and a chance of being a really great team.”

Hawkins became a full-time starter in his junior season, averaging 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 32.5 minutes per contest (33 games).

Here are a few more draft-related updates:

  • Houston guard Jamal Shead will test the NBA draft waters, he tells Jon Chepkevich of Rookie Scale (Twitter link). Shead averaged 10.5 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 3.0 RPG in 37 games (32.6 MPG) as the Cougars’ starting point guard in his junior year. His shooting percentages (.415 FG%, .310 3PT%) weren’t strong, but they did represent an improvement on his numbers as a sophomore. He was also the AAC’s Defensive Player of the Year, as Chepkevich notes.
  • Vanderbilt junior guard Tyrin Lawrence announced (via Twitter) that he’ll enter the draft while maintaining his college eligibility. Lawrence was Vanderbilt’s second-leading scorer in 2022/23, averaging 13.1 PPG on .502/.360/.743 shooting.
  • Freshman forward Mike Sharavjamts won’t return to Dayton, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Sharavjamts could change schools via the NCAA’s transfer portal, but for now he’s focusing on professional opportunities and has signed with NCAA-certified agent Scott Nichols, according to Givony.
  • Givony also reports (via Twitter) that Washington State junior guard Justin Powell will enter the draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility. Powell has already played for three college programs, having been with Auburn as a freshman and Tennessee as a sophomore. He knocked down an impressive 42.6% of his three-pointers in 2022/23.
  • Kansas City senior guard Rayquawndis Mitchell will test the draft waters, he announced on Twitter. Mitchell made the All-Summit team this spring by averaging 17.3 PPG in 32 games (35.5 MPG), though he shot just 34.5% from the floor.
  • In the introduction of his latest mock draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic writes that NBA teams are “all over the map” on many of the players in this year’s class, making the draft difficult to forecast, especially beyond the top 11 or so players. NBA teams are eager to see many top NCAA prospects in workouts and interviews to better assess them, Vecenie adds.
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