HoopsHype.com Rumors

Jeff Withey is projected to be a mid-first-round draft pick. That means there's a good chance the 76ers won't select him in next month’s NBA Draft. The Kansas center, however, is still keyed up about Friday’s interview with the Sixers, who will likely get the 11th pick. “I’m extremely excited,” Withey said Thursday at the NBA Draft Combine here at Harrison Street Gym. “I know a couple of guys on the team. Jrue Holiday, I played with him way back when. … And I’m excited to go meet with them and go talk with them. Obviously, I haven’t done it yet. So I’m just trying to prepare myself for it mentally.” Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia 76ers, Draft, Jrue Holiday, Jeff Withey 

Jeff Withey, C, Kansas. Scouts are pretty unanimous when it comes to Withey’s status as an NBA draft prospect—he is a game-changer around the rim, but he is so unskilled offensively that his defensive prowess might not matter much. Throw in the fact that he is a late-blooming senior, already 23 years old, and the feeling is that he is a finished product, the hoops equivalent of an all-field, no-hit shortstop. But with Kansas struggling for long stretches in its first two tournament games, Withey’s defensive impact has been all the more noticeable. Sporting News

Draft, Jeff Withey 

Withey, who had five points and four blocks, said: “I’m coming back. That’s the plan.” Lawrence Journal-World

Draft, Jeff Withey 

Juniors Elijah Johnson and Jeff Withey, however, indicated they’ll definitely return for their senior seasons. Lawrence Journal-World

Draft, Elijah Johnson, Jeff Withey