Sagaba Konate Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Updates: Lecque, Konate, Bowman

April 2nd, 2019 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

North Carolina State recruit Jalen Lecque has submitted paperwork to expore entering the 2019 NBA draft, his father Derrick tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com. Lecque and his father believe the 6’4″ guard should be draft-eligible because he’s in his fifth year of high school and after meeting the NCAA requirements to graduate high school in 2018.

“We’re waiting to hear if he’s eligible or not,” Derrick Lecque told Givony. “We’re waiting for them to evaluate the transcripts.”

As Givony details, NBA scouts have attended Lecque’s games at Brewster Academy to evaluate him in the event that he becomes eligible. He appears to have a strong case for inclusion in the 2019 draft class, Givony notes, but he’ll have to wait for an official decision before he submits his early-entrant paperwork. He currently ranks No. 76 on Givony’s big board for 2019 prospects.

Here are a few more of Tuesday’s draft-related updates:

West Virginia forward Sagaba Konate tells Jon Rothstein of SI.com (Twitter link) that he’ll enter the 2019 NBA draft now that his junior year is over. According to Jeff Goodman of Stadium (via Twitter), Konate is testing the waters and keeping his options open, but is focusing on the draft for now. The No. 83 prospect on ESPN’s big board, Konate averaged 13.6 PPG and 8.0 RPG in an injury-shortened 2018/19 season.
The 84th overall prospect on ESPN’s top 100, Boston College guard Ky Bowman, has also decided to enter the draft, writes Evan Daniels of 247Sports.com. Bowman, who will hire an agent, put up 19.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 4.0 APG in his junior year in 2018/19.
Earlier today, we published our running list of early entrants for the 2019 NBA draft. That list, which will be updated multiple times daily leading up to the April 21 entry deadline, now includes both Konate and Bowman.

Draft Notes: Doncic, Maye, Roach, Konate

May 24th, 2018 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

While he has long been considered a strong candidate to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, Luka Doncic no longer appears to be a lock to even be a top-three selection, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider link). While it’s hard to know what to believe at this time of year, Givony explains to Kevin Pelton that the Kings, Hawks, and Grizzlies didn’t send anyone to watch the EuroLeague Final Four in person last week, and several NBA evaluators seem to have cooled on Doncic.

Givony believes those evaluators are overthinking matters, but admits “the skepticism is a lot more prevalent than expected.” As ESPN’s draft guru explains, some people around the league have concerns about Doncic’s athleticism – or lack thereof – and his ability to keep improving. However, Givony points to Doncic’s incredible workload over the last 18 months, along with European teams’ relative inattention to players’ diets and conditioning, as reasons why the young star may have not looked quite as impressive in recent months as he did last fall. On an NBA schedule, working with NBA coaches, those issues could be addressed.

Ultimately, Givony and Pelton both believe that Doncic is worthy of the No. 1 pick, with Givony writing that the 19-year-old is “too productive, too skilled, too smart and too good a fit in the modern game to pass up.” However, it remains to be seen how many teams at the top of the draft will agree with that assessment.

Here’s more on the 2018 NBA draft:

UNC forward Luke Maye has decided to return to the Tar Heels for his senior year after testing the draft waters, he announced today on Instagram. Maye, who earned a spot on the All-ACC First Team and was named the conference’s Most Improved Player, averaged a double-double (16.9 PPG, 10.1 RPG) in 2017/18.
Texas guard Kerwin Roach II has withdrawn his name from the 2018 draft and will head back to the Longhorns for his senior year, the school announced in a press release. “I’m hungry for the opportunity to make a career in the NBA, but I realize I have to improve in so many areas on the court,” Roach said in a statement. “I’m also on pace to earn my degree, and that is a big deal for me and my family.”
After testing the draft waters without an agent, West Virginia forward Sagaba Konate will head back to school for his junior year, he confirms to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link).
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News and the staff at Basketball Insiders are among those who have released new mock drafts this week.

Draft Updates: Washington, Wilkes, Happ, Konate

April 4th, 2018 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

Kentucky forward PJ Washington will test the draft waters after his freshman year, he announced on Tuesday (via Twitter). In his statement, Washington stressed that he loves the Kentucky program and isn’t in a hurry to decide on going pro, but was encouraged by coach John Calipari to get feedback on where he stands.

In the view of ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Washington is the No. 47 prospect in this year’s class, which would give him a good chance of being drafted this spring. The 6’7″ forward is coming off a freshman season in which he averaged 10.8 PPG and 5.7 RPG for the Wildcats.

Here are a few more of the latest draft updates:

UCLA forward Kris Wilkes will enter the 2018 NBA draft without hiring an agent, he tells Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). The No. 68 prospect on ESPN’s big board, Wilkes posted 13.7 PPG and 4.9 RPG as a freshman for the Bruins in 2017/18.
The University of Wisconsin announced on Tuesday (via Twitter) that junior big man Ethan Happ will test the draft waters. “The underclassmen rule allows Ethan and others to participate in workouts with teams and potentially the NBA combine,” coach Greg Gard said of the junior forward/center, the 77th player on ESPN’s top 100. “This experience will be invaluable for him and will ultimately make him a better player.”
West Virginia forward Sagaba Konate will also test the draft waters, per a report from The Associated Press. In his sophomore year, Konate averaged 10.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and an impressive 3.2 BPG in just 25.4 minutes per contest.
Iowa redshirt sophomore Isaiah Moss has declared for the 2018 NBA draft but won’t hire an agent, retaining his NCAA eligibility for now, the program announced in a press release. The 6’5″ guard averaged 11.1 PPG on .420/.386/.879 shooting in 2017/18. Like other underclassmen who aren’t hiring an agent, Moss will have until May 30 to withdraw his name in order to retain his NCAA eligibility.