DeAndre Williams Rumors

Draft Decisions: J. Lewis, Wong, Flanigan, Pullin, More

June 1st, 2022 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

Marquette forward Justin Lewis, who entered the draft this spring coming off his sophomore season, has decided to keep his name in the 2022 draft pool, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, reports Jeremy Woo of SI.com (Twitter link).

Lewis enjoyed a breakout year in 2021/22, averaging 16.8 PPG and 7.9 RPG on .440/.349/.761 shooting in 32 games (32.2 MPG) for the Golden Eagles. Lewis comes in at No. 45 on ESPN’s latest big board, though Woo suggests he has a chance to be a first-round pick.

With the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline only about 12 hours away, let’s round up several more of the latest draft decisions made by early entrants…

Miami guard Isaiah Wong is returning to school for his senior year, he announced today (via Instagram). It’s the second time Wong has tested the draft waters and eventually pulled out, so if he declares again next season, he won’t have the option of withdrawing.
Auburn junior wing Allen Flanigan is withdrawing from the draft, while UC-Riverside junior guard Zyon Pullin is expected to do the same, reports Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter links).
The following players are withdrawing from the draft, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (all five are Twitter links): Memphis senior forward DeAndre Williams, senior guard Courtney Ramey, Samford junior guard Ques Glover, senior guard Donald Carey, and Virginia Tech senior forward Justyn Mutts. Ramey, who played for Texas last season, is currently in the transfer portal, while Carey is transferring from Georgetown to Maryland.

Draft Notes: Ellis, Murray, Roberts, Early Entrants

April 15th, 2022 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Alabama guard Keon Ellis, who has one year of college eligibility remaining, will go pro rather than staying in school for another year. Ellis has hired EZ Sports Group for representation, the agency announced earlier this week (via Instagram), making him draft-eligible this June.

The No. 48 prospect on ESPN’s big board, Ellis averaged 12.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 1.9 SPG in 33 games (30.9 MPG) in 2021/22 for the Crimson Tide and earned a spot on the SEC’s All-Defense team.

Another prospect in ESPN’s top 100, Iowa sophomore forward Kris Murray, has also declared for the 2022 NBA draft, but he’ll maintain his college eligibility and just test the waters for now, he announced on Twitter.

Murray, who comes in at No. 98 on ESPN’s board, barely played in his freshman year, but emerged as a rotation player in 2021/22, averaging 9.7 PPG and 4.3 RPG on .479/.387/.645 shooting in 35 games (17.9 MPG). His twin brother Keegan Murray, a projected top-10 pick, declared for the draft last month.

Here’s more on the draft:

Jeremy Woo of SI.com, who shared his latest 2022 mock draft this week, has Jabari Smith going to Houston at No. 1 overall, followed by Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren.
Stony Brook junior guard Anthony Roberts will forgo his final year of college eligibility and enter the draft, he announced (Twitter link). Playing for his third program in three years, Roberts was the Seawolves’ leading scorer in 2021/22 with 16.3 PPG.
Agent Misko Raznatovic has announced that two of his Croatian clients – point guard Lovro Gnjidic and forward Leo Menalo – have declared for the draft (Twitter links). Neither player is a top-100 prospect, per ESPN. They’ll have until June 13 to withdraw from the draft, if they so choose.
Here are some other players who recently announced they intend to test the draft waters this spring:
- Efe Abogidi, C, Washington State (sophomore) (Twitter link)
- Keve Aluma, F, Virgina Tech (senior) (link via Mark Berman of The Roanoke Times)
- Khalif Battle, G, Temple (sophomore) (Twitter link)
- Donald Carey, G, Georgetown (senior) (Instagram link)
- Jalen Cook, G, Tulane (sophomore) (Twitter link)
- Kevin Easley Jr., F, Duquesne (junior) (Twitter link)
- Gideon George, F, BYU (senior) (Twitter link)
- Ques Glover, G, Samford (junior) (Twitter link)
- Andre Kelly, F, California (senior) (Instagram link)
- DeMarr Langford Jr., G, Boston College (sophomore) (Twitter link via Jason Smith)
- KC Ndefo, F, St. Peter’s (senior) (link via Adam Zagoria of NJ.com)
- DeAndre Williams, F, Memphis (senior) (Instagram link)

Draft Notes: Lewis, Vogt, Drell, Williams, More

April 21st, 2020 at 3:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Alabama sophomore guard Kira Lewis has elected to keep his name in the 2020 NBA draft and will forgo his final two years of college eligibility, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Lewis, who will hire an agent, confirmed his decision to go pro in a Twitter video.

A point guard who ranks 25th overall on ESPN’s big board, Lewis averaged a team-high 18.5 PPG to go along with 5.2 APG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.8 SPG in 31 games (37.6 MPG) in 2019/20 for the Crimson Tide. Alabama head coach Nate Oats told reporters nearly a month ago that Lewis would test the draft waters, noting at the time that he didn’t expect the starting point guard to return to school for ’20/21.

We have a few more draft decisions to pass along:

Cincinnati center Chris Vogt announced today on Twitter that he intends to test the draft waters. After transferring from Northern Kentucky, Vogt averaged 11.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 30 games (28.5 MPG) as a junior.
Estonian swingman Henri Drell, who played for Italian team VL Pesaro this season, has declared for the NBA draft, his agency tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). The 19-year-old, who also tested the draft waters a year ago, has previously played for teams in Estonia and Germany.
Evansville sophomore forward Deandre Williams has declared for the 2020 draft while entering the NCAA transfer portal, he tells Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype (video link). Williams recorded 15.2 PPG and 6.9 RPG in 18 games (27.1 MPG) in 2019/20.
VCU junior forward Marcus Santos-Silva, who previously entered the draft, has announced on Instagram that he’s transferring. While he didn’t explicitly say it, it sounds as if Santos-Silva will pull out of the draft process as he looks to play his senior season at a new program.
Former University of Sioux Falls commit Lincoln Bernhard, a 6’7″ wing, has entered the draft in the hopes of making a G League roster next season, he tells Hoops Rumors.