Elijah Olaniyi Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: McClung, Wright, Faulkner, Olaniyi

May 13th, 2020 at 9:03pm CST by ChrisCrouse

After testing the 2020 NBA draft waters, Georgetown’s Mac McClung has decided to withdraw his name from consideration. However, he won’t be returning to the Hoyas. According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, McClung has requested to enter the transfer portal and will become “the most sought-after transfer in the country.”

“It was a number of different events that made me feel I had no choice but to transfer from Georgetown,” McClung told Givony. “I really wanted to stay, but things throughout my career made me realize that I couldn’t.”

Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing said last week that McClung would be returning to Georgetown for the 2020/21 season, prompting McClung’s agent to clarify that the guard was still testing the draft waters. McClung told ESPN that mix-up wasn’t a deciding factor in his decision to transfer, but admitted it confused NBA teams and impacted his pre-draft process. McClung reportedly had virtual meeting with at least 11 clubs.

Here are a few more draft-related updates:

Having signed with NCAA-certified agent Chris Emens, Colorado’s McKinley Wright can continue to test the draft waters while maintaining his college eligibility, tweets Jeff Goodman of Stadium. Wright is still deciding whether to go pro or return to school for his senior year.
Western Carolina’s Mason Faulkner will withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to school, Goodman tweets. Faulkner averaged 17.7 points per game last season.
Elijah Olaniyi will also withdraw from the draft, Goodman reports (Twitter link). Olaniyi played for Stony Brook last season, though he plans on transferring.
Former front office executive John Hollinger identifies a list of players he’d be willing to bet on making it in the NBA, as he writes for The Athletic. Hollinger has LaMelo Ball atop his list.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: Mannion, McDaniels, Burke, Olaniyi

May 11th, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has yet to make any official announcements on its draft date, but there’s a wide belief that the current June 25 date will be pushed back. According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, league sources “are hearing about” a potential draft date in late August or early September. Some agents have been told there could be a scaled-down draft combine in August, with live interviews, Berman adds.

Of course, at this point, the NBA isn’t making any concrete plans, so those are scenarios that have been discussed rather than decided upon. The draft date will depend in large part on when the 2019/20 NBA season ends — if the league devises a plan that would see its Finals run into September, a late-August draft may not be viable.

As we wait for further word from the NBA, here are some more draft-related updates:

Projected first-round pick Nico Mannion has signed with BDA Sports for representation, the agency announced on Instagram (hat tip to Sportando). BDA doesn’t have any NCAA-certified agents, so the move is a signal that Mannion will go pro and remain in the draft.
Another projected first-rounder, Jaden McDaniels, has signed with Nima Namakian of BDA Sports for representation and will remain in the draft, tweets Evan Daniels of 247Sports.com.
Rather than transferring to South Alabama, Nebraska junior guard Dachon Burke has decided to go pro and will remain in the draft, he tells Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). Burke has signed with agent Corey Marcum of EZ Sports.
Stony Brook is expected to lose junior swingman Elijah Olaniyi, who is testing the draft waters, tweets Goodman. Olaniyi hasn’t finalized any decisions yet, but is expected to either transfer to another program or remain in the draft, according to Goodman.

Draft Notes: Carr, Martin, Teague, Olaniyi

March 30th, 2020 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

University of Minnesota point guard Marcus Carr is declaring for the draft but won’t hire an agent, Evan Daniels of 247Sports tweets. Carr averaged 15.4 PPG, 6.7 APG and 5.3 RPG in his sophomore season for the Golden Gophers. The 6’2” Carr played one season at Pittsburgh, then sat out a season after transferring.

We have more draft declarations:

Arizona State point guard Remy Martin has entered his name in the draft pool, Jeff Goodman of Stadium tweets. Martin averaged 19.1 PPG and 4.1 APG as a junior. The 6’0” Martin is a two-year starter after coming off the bench as a freshman.
Baylor’s MaCio Teague will test the draft waters but he’ll keep his options open, according to his Twitter feed. The 6’3” Teague averaged 13.9 PPG and 4.6 RPG in his junior season. Teague played two seasons at UNC Asheville, then sat out a year after transferring.
Stony Brook’s Elijah Olaniyi is declaring for the draft but won’t hire an agent, he tweets. The 6’5” shooting guard averaged 18.0 PPG and 6.5 RPG in his junior season. Olaniyi has played 91 career games for the Seawolves.