Washington guard Jaylen Nowell said goodbye to the Huskies and confirmed his entry into the 2019 NBA Draft.
FILE PHOTO: Mar 24, 2019; Columbus, OH, USA; Washington Huskies guard Jaylen Nowell (5) dribbles the ball defended by North Carolina Tar Heels forward Luke Maye (32) in the first half in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The 2018-19 Pac-12 Player of the Year averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 36 games as a sophomore. He shot 50.2 percent from the field and 44.0 percent from 3-point range.
“I want to make sure Husky Nation knows how much I’ve appreciated their support and encouragement during my career at UW,” Nowell said in a statement released by the school. “You have all helped me achieve my dreams and best believe, I’m a Husky for Life, there’s no changing that.”
According to the NCAA, underclassmen have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday to withdraw from the draft and retain their eligibility.
The draft will be held June 20 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
—Tennessee guard Jordan Bone is the second Volunteers underclassman to announce he will stay in the draft, joining big man Grant Williams, the two-time SEC Player of the Year.
“It’s always been my dream as a kid. The love and appreciation from Vol Nation is something that will never go away and I’ll always cherish,” Bone said.
Tennessee is now down four of its five starters from last season. Williams also declared and opted to keep his name in the draft. Admiral Schofield and Kyle Alexander graduated and are preparing for the draft.
—Armoni Brooks of Houston announced on Twitter that he will leave the Cougars to enter the NBA draft.
The 6-foot-3 guard played three seasons with Houston but had his best season in 2018-19, tallying career highs in minutes (30.7), points (13.4) and rebounds (6.3). He started 36 of 37 games.
—Guards Al Durham and Devonte Green will join forward Justin Smith in returning to Indiana.
Green averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 assists per game as a junior last season. In their sophomore seasons, Durham averaged 8.3 points and 1.6 assists, while Smith tallied 8.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
—Davion Mintz will return to Creighton for his senior season.
A 6-foot-3 guard, Mintz has started 79 of the Bluejays’ past 82 games. Last season, he averaged 9.7 points, 3.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. He also had 40 steals on the season.
—Guard Brandon Randolph is leaving Arizona after two seasons.
Last season, he started 31 of 32 games and averaged 12.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game.
—Field Level Media