University of Michigan men’s basketball guard/forward Isaiah Livers announced Friday (July 17) that he will return for his senior season and remove his name from the 2020 NBA Draft.
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Canadian five-star recruit Karim Mane has elected to sign with an agent and keep his name in the 2020 NBA draft, he told ESPN on Thursday. Despite only recently graduating high school, Mane, a guard, is eligible for the draft as an international player who satisfies the NBA's age requirement, having turned 19 in May of 2019.
Utah forward Timmy Allen announced that he has pulled his name from the pool of players eligible to be selected in the 2020 NBA Draft and is running to the Runnin’ Utes for his junior season.
Youngstown State University point guard Darius Quisenberry announced on Twitter that he has withdrawn his name from the 2020 NBA draft, and will return for his junior season with the Penguins.
Jeff Goodman: Boise State announces that Derrick Alston Jr., will withdraw from the NBA Draft and will return to school. Broncos could be the best team in the Mountain West next season.
Jon Rothstein: UCF's Collin Smith tells me that he is withdrawing from the 2020 NBA Draft and will return to school next season. Significant American Conference News.
SMU forward Isiaha Mike will remain in the NBA draft, a source with knowledge of Mike’s thinking told The Dallas Morning News. Mike had one year of eligibility remaining at SMU.
Over two months after initially declaring for the 2020 NBA Draft, point guard Tre Mann has decided to return the Florida Gators for his sophomore season. Mann has withdrawn from the draft with his sights set on a second year at Florida under head coach Mike White, he announced Tuesday.
Jeff Borzello: Tennessee-Martin guard Parker Stewart is withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning to school, he tells ESPN. Averaged 19.2 points and 3.8 assists.
DeJon Jarreau will withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to the University of Houston for his senior season. Jarreau, a 6-5 guard, declared for the draft in mid-April but did not hire an agent, keeping his amateur status and allowing for a return to college.
Jeff Goodman: Fresno State freshman Niven Hart has decided to stay in the NBA draft and will turn pro, coach Justin Hutson told @Stadium.
Potential early-entry candidates for the 2020 NBA draft will have until Aug. 17 to declare that they are entering the draft, according to a memo obtained by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday. The new deadline is pending the NBA finalizing an agreement with the players' union on system rule changes in the collective bargaining agreement related to the resumption of the 2019-20 season. The NBA's early-entry deadline had been April 26, in anticipation of a June 25 draft, but according to the CBA, players have the ability to make themselves draft eligible by petioning the league in writing "at least sixty (60) days prior." Pending approval from the National Basketball Players Association, that would shift the early-entry deadline to Aug. 17 given the draft has been postponed to Oct. 16.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Source: NBA Draft will be on October 16, with early entry deadline on August 17.
Frank Martin stands with A.J. Lawson in staying in the NBA Draft at this point in time. “There’s no need to rush. He’s had probably six or seven interviews with NBA teams, which is what they’re all doing right now,” Martin said. “As long as NBA teams are offering interviews, I don’t see any reason why he should try to make a decision sooner than he has to. If no NBA team was asking to meet with him, I would think he’d make a decision by now.”
Jon Rothstein: Sources: South Carolina's AJ Lawson is returning to school next season and will withdraw from the 2020 NBA Draft.
South Carolina’s A.J. Lawson is still in the NBA Draft, despite reports to the contrary. “He’s still in the draft,” Lawson’s father, Anthony, told ZAGSBLOG on Tuesday.
Tamenang Choh will return to Brown University for his senior season. Bears coach Mike Martin confirmed Tuesday that the standout forward will withdraw his name from the upcoming NBA Draft. Choh submitted his name in early April but retained his eligibility throughout the process.
South Carolina men’s basketball coach Frank Martin said he expected top scorer A.J. Lawson back on campus at the end of June. And a report from CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein made it appear the talented rising junior was fully headed back to USC and out of the NBA Draft. But on Tuesday morning, Lawson’s father told The State the report was “not accurate” and the family never spoke to anyone about his decision.
SMU forward Feron Hunt will return to the men’s basketball program for his junior season in 2020-2021, he told The Dallas Morning News on Monday afternoon. Hunt had returned to campus and had taken a COVID-19 test earlier on Monday. “Just the uncertainty, how things would be played out,” Hunt said when asked why he made this decision. "There’s a lot of things going on in the world right now, just pretty much mainly the uncertainty. We’re not able to get in front of teams and stuff. And I felt like that’s where I’d be better. Just to show more of my game instead of going off my college film. “... [Teams] said they want me to get a little stronger, work on my jump shooting. I got great feedback.”
Jeff Goodman: SMU forward Feron Hunt told @Stadium he will withdraw from the NBA draft and return for his junior season.
Jordan Burns: The Last Dance 💃🏽... IM BACK!!😈😤 #Year4 #ItsDIFFERENT ⭕️🇨🇱
Jeff Goodman: Colgate’s Jordan Burns has withdrawn from the NBA Draft, he told @Stadium.
Point guard Kam Langley, a rising senior from Southwest Guilford, has withdrawn his name from the NBA Draft pool and plans to finish his college career with the Aggies.
Hasahn French's NBA dreams are on hold. French, a Middletown resident and Saint Louis 6-foot-7 forward, withdrew his name from the NBA draft Wednesday and will return for his senior season.
John Rothstein: Saint Louis' Jordan Goodwin told me that he will withdraw from the 2020 NBA Draft and will return to school next season. Averaged 15.5 PPG, 10.4 RPG, and 3.1 APG last year.
Jon Rothstein: Saint Louis' Hasahn French tells me that he will withdraw from the 2020 NBA Draft and return to school next season. Averaged 12.4 PPG and 10.4 RPG last year. Significant Atlantic 10 news.
Jeff Goodman: Buffalo’s Jayvon Graves will withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to school, he told @Stadium.
Jeff Goodman: Alabama’s Herb Jones is withdrawing from the NBA Draft and returning to school, he told @Stadium.
Jon Rothstein: Source: Vermont's Stef Smith will withdraw from the 2020 NBA Draft and return to school next season. Averaged 14.2 PPG last year.
Jon Rothstein: Nicholls State's Andre Jones tells me that he has withdrawn from the 2020 NBA Draft and will be returning to school next season. Averaged 11.9 PPG last year.
Clemson University men’s basketball star forward Aamir Simms has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will return for the upcoming 2020-21 season, announced by both Head Coach Brad Brownell and Aamir Simms on Monday.
In an eventful day for Florida Gators basketball roster news, freshman point guard Tre Mann has countered a report that he would be withdrawing his name from the 2020 NBA Draft. Mann intends to remain in the draft pool at this time, he announced on Twitter on Saturday night.
The "unknowns" for current NBA prospects could result in another year of college basketball for Iowa star Luka Garza, the projected preseason national player of the year in 2020-21. Garza, who has entered the 2020 NBA draft while retaining his eligibility, told ESPN he'll make his decision about returning to school or turning pro based on the conversations and interviews he'll have with NBA executives in the coming weeks and months. He said the inability to meet with the NBA's power brokers for workouts -- if the current situation persists -- will play a role in his decision. "I think it all depends on what teams are telling me in these interviews and what they're seeing on film," said Garza, the Wooden Award runner-up after averaging 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game last season. "I'm not leaving for an unknown or an uncertain.
Florida point guard Andrew Nembhard is removing his name from the NBA draft and returning to school - just not in Gainesville. A team spokesman said Saturday that Nembhard plans to transfer and will have two years of college eligibility remaining. Stadium first reported Nembhard's intentions.
Twenty-four of the NBA’s 30 teams have contacted Cretin-Derham Hall for background checks on Daniel Oturu, the former Raiders star who is leaving the Gophers after his sophomore season to turn professional. The 6-10, 240-pound Oturu will be represented by Bill Duffy, who also will represent point guard Tre Jones from Apple Valley via Duke.
Florida’s Tre Mann will withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to campus for his sophomore season, sources said.
In a widely expected move, Ohio State senior-to-be guard CJ Walker officially announced on Saturday that he would be pulling his name out of the 2020 NBA draft and returning to Columbus for his final season.
Garza, who has entered the 2020 NBA draft while retaining his eligibility, told ESPN he'll make his decision about returning to school or turning pro based on the conversations and interviews he'll have with NBA executives in the coming weeks and months. He said the inability to meet with the NBA's power brokers for workouts -- if the current situation persists -- will play a role in his decision. "I think it all depends on what teams are telling me in these interviews and what they're seeing on film," said Garza, the Wooden Award runner-up after averaging 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game last season. "I'm not leaving for an unknown or an uncertain.
“It’s the million dollar question,” said Corey Kispert, when asked what would keep him in the draft and what would bring him back to GU. “I need to hear something from a team that has all the package to have me let go of my senior year, and that’s worth a lot. From the people here, the program, the atmosphere, the games we’re playing, it’s worth a lot. Knowing that I can be secure in whatever an NBA team offers me is basically what you have to weigh. At the end of day if I don’t get that, that’s perfectly fine with me. I’d be thrilled to come back for my senior year.”
Kispert has been interviewed by roughly 15 teams. “You can only tell so much about a potential player through a Zoom interview,” he said. “In my case, it would be a really good thing to get in front of the right people and show them what I have face to face.”
With the deadline approaching for underclassmen to cement their status in the NBA Draft process, Clarksburg native Jarrod West has withdrawn his name from draft consideration. He will return to Marshall for his senior season this winter.
Key for Makur Maker is ensuring he is a first-round draft pick. If it appears teams will not draft him in the first round he will take up a college scholarship, build up his draft stock and take another shot at the NBA next year. Maker and his guardian Ed Smith are hoping the NBA allows face-to-face workouts with teams before next month's draft. "If Makur gets workouts with NBA teams he feels he will be a first-round pick," Smith said.
Jon Rothstein: Richmond's Blake Francis tells me that he is withdrawing from the 2020 NBA Draft and will return to school next season. Significant Atlantic 10 News.
Charlie Clifford: Jordan Tucker is officially departing Hinkle. The #Butler forward announces he is staying in the 2020 #NBADraft @WISH_TV @ButlerMBB
After two years at the University of Kentucky, Immanuel Quickley has declared for the 2020 NBA Draft and signed with Roc Nation. The 6’3” guard averaged 16.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists for the Wildcats last season. He evolved as one of the nation’s top scoring threats being named SEC Player of the Year and All-SEC First Team.
Jeff Goodman: Ohio State’s Kaleb and Andre Wesson have signed with Jelani Floyd of Beyond Athlete Management @beyond_am.
Jeff Goodman: Marquette’s Brendan Bailey will turn pro.
Jon Rothstein: Nevada's Jalen Harris is staying in the 2020 NBA Draft, per his father. Significant Mountain West news.
Jon Rothstein: Rhode Island's Fatts Russell tells me that he is withdrawing from the 2020 NBA Draft and will return to school next season. Huge news for David Cox and the Rams. Russell is a potential All-American in 20-21.
Jon Rothstein: Source: Mississippi State's Abdul Ado will withdraw from the 2020 NBA Draft and return to school next season.
Jeff Goodman: Richmond’s Jacob Gilyard told me that he will withdraw from the NBA Draft. Gilyard averaged 12.7 points and 5.7 assists and is an elite defender.
Feron Hunt, a former player at DeSoto, said he plans to make his decision about whether to come back to SMU or to stay in the draft either this week or next week. He met virtually with an undisclosed NBA team late last week, which could possibly impact his decision.
When Michigan forward Isaiah Livers declared for the NBA Draft in late March, he said he was entering the pre-draft process as an “open book.” Nearly two months later, Livers isn’t any closer to deciding if his next chapter will include leaving Michigan early or returning to Ann Arbor for his senior season.
Jon Rothstein: Source: UCF's Darin Green Jr. has withdrawn from the 2020 NBA Draft and will return to school next season. Averaged 10.1 PPG as a freshman.
Liz Mullen: University of Houston G Nathaniel Hinton has signed with @tallentagency for representation in the NBA Draft. NBA Agent Tallen Todorovich is repping him.
Mark Berman: Former @UHCougarMBK guard Nate Hinton on signing with an agent and turning pro: “I’m at peace with it. I prayed long and hard about it. Through the guidance of the people around me I decided to just make that step and turn professional.”
Jordan Allen announced earlier this week on social media that he’s bypassing his senior season at Lynn University to declare for the NBA Draft. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard spent last winter at the NCAA Division II Florida school after playing his first two seasons at Division I Rider. Allen is serious about the move, too. The 22-year-old has signed with an agent and has been working out with other prospects in Houston so there’s no going back to school.
Jeff Goodman: Utah sophomore guard Both Gach, who declared for the NBA Draft, told me he will transfer if he removes his name. Sophomore guard averaged 10.7 points this past season.
Michigan State junior Xavier Tillman has entered his name into the upcoming NBA draft. But he has not hired an agent, so he could still return to school. With less than a month to decide, the Grand Rapids Christian High School graduate says he is still at the 50/50 mark, which is where he was when he put his name in the draft.
The new reality we are all living has made the draft process considerably different than in past years. Since face-to-face meetings can’t happen right now, Tillman has been meeting with NBA teams through Zoom meetings. “I’ve had two so far with Utah and Detroit. It’s all about these Zoom interviews and how well you perform in those. Answering the questions honestly is the biggest key for those teams because they know everything about you,” Tillman said. Being born and raised in Michigan, Tillman says the Pistons are a team that is on his list.
The NBA is his future, and he took a step toward that dream by declaring as an early entrant for this year’s draft last month. “Definitely the outlook would be me leaning toward going pro because that’s what I’m working toward,” Ayo Dosunmu said. “That’s my goal at the end of the day, to play in the NBA and work as hard as I can to be picked as high as possible. Of course, I didn’t sign with an agent because there’s so many uncertainties, but if everything goes the right way and everything gets back on track, of course I’ll be staying in the draft and working out to be the best player I can be.”
The lottery and combine — both originally scheduled for this month — have been postponed. That’s left the door at least cracked open for Dosunmu to return to Illinois for a third season. “There’s always a possibility,” he said. “That’s why I haven’t signed with an agent yet. There’s so much uncertainty I don’t know and we don’t know. It would be foolish for me to say I’m signing with an agent without knowing what could happen tomorrow or what could happen next week.”
Where things are moving more quickly, John Petty said in a telephone interview, are in his contacts with other teams. “I’ve done 12 Zoom interviews already,” Petty said. “I don’t want to say any specific teams but I’ve gotten some great feedback. They have been impressed. We’ve talked about my elbow (a hyperextending which knocked him out of two games late late season.) It has perfectly healed, no problem. My process now is to keep working out, be patient, talk to scouts and hopefully get a great answer from them (about a potential draft position.) If that happens, I’m probably going to stay in. ... I will have a decision but I’m going to be patient.”
Jeff Goodman: Temple junior guard Nate Pierre-Louis told @Stadium he will sign with an agent and will turn pro. Averaged 10.9 points, 8.5 boards and 3.1 assists this past season for the Owls.
Jeff Goodman: Cal State Northridge sophomore forward Lamine Diane has signed with Richie Felder of CAA, which means he will forgo his final season years in college. Averaged 25.6 points and 10.2 boards this past season.
Jeff Goodman: Western Carolina’s Mason Faulkner told @Stadium he will withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to school. Averaged 17.7 points, 6.1 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game this past season.
Sam Vecenie: Other news there is Mac McClung pulled out of the NBA Draft. Smart move in my opinion. Has some interesting qualities with the athleticism and creativity, but really needs to take strides as a shooter and defender to make it at the next level.
Former Kentucky forward Kahlil Whitney has signed with Versus Management Team, he announced Tuesday. Whitney left the program in late January after averaging just 3.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.
Jeff Goodman: Stony Brook transfer Elijah Olaniyi (18 ppg) told @Stadium that he will withdraw from the NBA Draft process and focus on transferring. Sit one, play one. Has heard from Minnesota, Nevada, DePaul, Arkansas, Xavier and Miami thus far.
Jeff Goodman: Source: Stony Brook also expected to lose Elijah Olaniyi. Olaniyi put his name in for the NBA Draft. He is expected to either grad transfer or turn pro. Averaged 18 points this past season.
Evan Daniels: Washington forward Jaden McDaniels is bypassing his remaining college eligibility and signing with Nima Namakian of BDA Sports for his professional representation, a source tells @247Sports. Averaged 13 PPG and 5.8 RPG this past season.
“I’ll be officially in the draft,” Isaac Okoro said. “I haven’t posted it on social media, but I feel like it will be the best move for me. It’s always been a dream of mine since I was a little kid to have a chance to make it to the NBA. It feels so surreal right now, but I also know once draft day comes, I’m just gonna be ready for the moment.”
Okoro has already signed with Young Money APAA Sports and Lifestyle Sports Agency, and though NCAA rules give him until June 3 to withdraw his name from the draft and retain his college eligibility, Okoro said his mind is already made up.
A month after making a decision about his immediate future, freshman guard Jordyn Adams has withdrawn his name from the NBA Draft and will return to Austin Peay for the 2020-21 season, according to the university's athletics department.
It’s only a matter of time now until it becomes a reality for the son of former NBA guard Greg Anthony. Friday afternoon, the Upper West Side native decided he would not return to North Carolina for his sophomore year, telling The Post he was going pro and signing with Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management.
“It’s really one of the best feelings you can have, knowing all your hard work is coming together to live your dream,” Anthony said in an exclusive phone interview. “It’s still a ways away, not knowing when the draft is going to be, but an opportunity to pretty much call myself a pro soon is surreal. It’s really one of the best feelings ever.”
Jeff Goodman: Jared Butler (Baylor), Ryan Daly (St. Joe’s) and Tyrell Terry (Stanford) have all signed with Mike Naiditch of Beyond Athlete Management, per source. Naiditch is one of the 23 NCAA-certified agents, which means that they are all able to return to school if they want.
Junior forward Romello White was one of three Arizona State basketball players to declare for the draft, but a message on social media indicated that he hadn't closed the door on his college career. If he does return to college basketball, it won't be to Tempe. The Atlanta native plans to enter the transfer portal. He will be the fifth Sun Devil to do so.
All-SEC guard Saben Lee will forgo his senior season at Vanderbilt and stay in the 2020 NBA Draft. He has signed with Wasserman Media Group, according to the company’s Twitter account.
UCLA redshirt sophomore forward Jalen Hill has withdrawn his name from NBA draft consideration and plans to remain a Bruin next season, significantly enhancing his team’s frontcourt depth.
Matt Babcock: Sources: Josh Hall of Moravian Prep had initially been denied eligibility for the 2020 NBA Draft due to a discrepancy in his graduation date. However, after a case was made, the NBA reconsidered and changed its ruling. Hall has signed with an agent and will remain in the draft.
Arkansas junior Mason Jones announced March 27th that he would declare for the 2020 NBA Draft. Jones took a further step towards pro hoops Friday by signing with Creative Artists Agency. That move officially ends his eligibility with the Razorbacks.
Josh Hall announced Thursday evening that he intends to sign with an agent and will remain in the 2020 NBA Draft. Hall, the No. 32 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, has signed with Nate Conley of Pro Sports Management for his professional representation, per Evan Daniels of 247Sports.
Emiliano Carchia: Josh Hall to bypass college, stay in NBA Draft
Ira Winderman: NBA announces 205 players -- 163 players from colleges and other educational institutions and 42 international players -- have filed as early-entry candidates for the 2020 NBA Draft. As a reminder, there are a total of 60 draft slots.
