Should He Stay or Should He Go? 2024 College Basketball Decisions

[jbcarol]

Rothstein: On the Side

Three of last season's 15 AP All-Americans — RJ Davis (North Carolina), Hunter Dickinson (Kansas), and Johni Broome (Auburn) — have already publicly announced their intentions to return to school next season. Three others — Mark Sears (Alabama), Caleb Love (Arizona), and DaRon Holmes II (Dayton) — are early entrants for the 2024 NBA Draft and can also still return to college in 2024-25.

[jbcarol]

NBA finally announces additional early entry players eligible for selection in 2024 NBA Draft

by: Barkley Truax
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Following Tuesday's announcement that 195 players had filed as early entry candidates for the 2024 NBA Draft, several more have been announced —

Here is the list, per release:

Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida)
Malik Dia (Belmont)
Caleb Love (Arizona)
Tiras Morton (Lubbock Christian)
Ugonna Onyenso (Kentucky)
Hunter Sallis (Wake Forest)

According to the release, players who have applied for early entry have the right to withdraw their names from consideration for the Draft by notifying the NBA of their decision in writing no later than 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 16. Under NCAA rules, in order to retain college basketball eligibility, college players who have entered NBA Draft 2024 had to have withdrawn their name by Wednesday, May 29.

[jbcarol]

@JonRothstein
The list for the 2024 NBA Draft Combine.

[jbcarol]

Frequently Asked Questions: NBA G League Elite Camp

What is NBA G League Elite Camp?
It is a three-day event that gives NBA Draft prospects an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of NBA and NBA G League scouts, coaches and front-office executives. The athletes will participate separately in five-on-five games and strength and agility drills.

A select number of players from the draft-eligible group will be invited to participate in the NBA Draft Combine later on in the week based on their performance in the NBA G League Elite Camp.

Why is it important?
NBA G League Elite Camp give draft-eligible prospects an opportunity to display their skills in front of NBA personnel and improve their draft stock ahead of the NBA Draft.

The camp also gives these prospects the opportunity to participate in the NBA Draft Combine.

@DraftExpress
G League Elite Camp participant list. 44 players will scrimmage for two days in Chicago starting May 11. At least a half dozen will move on to the NBA Draft Combine.

[jbcarol]

Reed Sheppard admits leaving Kentucky was 'a tough decision, for sure'

by: Thomas Goldkamp
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Former Kentucky superstar Reed Sheppard is off to the NBA Draft, but he admits his decision to leave school rather than stick around for the first year of the Mark Pope era was not easy.

Still, Sheppard felt his best bet was striking while the iron is hot and entering the NBA Draft.

"I'm very excited. It was tough, it was a tough decision, for sure."
--Reed Sheppard

[jbcarol]

@DraftExpress
NEWS: Arkansas commit Johnell Davis will decline his invite to the G League Elite Camp, a source told ESPN.

He'll conduct private workouts with select NBA teams prior to the NCAA early-entry withdrawal deadline on May 29.

[jbcarol]

Reed Sheppard finally sheds light on 'tough decision' to enter draft: "It was also a dream to play in the NBA."

Picks winner of Kentucky Derby

by: Jack Pilgrim
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Reed, Jeff and Stacey Sheppard all threw on their Derby-best on the first Saturday in May to attend Kentucky Derby 150, the former Wildcat superstar walking the red carpet rocking UK blue with his parents by his side.

After getting settled in at Churchill Downs, the Sheppards caught up with WAVE 3's Kendrick Haskins:

"We wanted Reed to have fun throughout the whole process. We weren't expecting to be here this quick, but this is where we are and he did a good job," Jeff said. "He took it one step at a time and it was neat to go through this as a family. Hard decision for Reed to make, but ultimately, we're excited for him and looking forward to his future."

As for Reed's take, he admits he struggled giving up his dream of winning a national championship wearing blue and white as a Wildcat, but knows his ultimate dream — like all basketball players — is to play in the NBA. The league officially gave him a top-10 draft grade on Friday, confirming everything we all saw with our own eyes:

"I'm very excited. It was tough, it was a tough decision, for sure," Reed said. "Growing up, it was always a dream to play at Kentucky. Being able to do that this year and not really knowing what to expect, coming in wanting to do whatever it took to win and just have fun with it like my mom and dad were both saying. But at the end of the day, it was also a dream to play in the NBA.

"This year was unbelievable, it's something I'll never forget. I'm super excited for the next step."

And yes, Pope tried to get Sheppard to stick around for another season. He knew pretty quickly, though, the star guard's mind was made up and he was ready to take on the next challenge.

[jbcarol]

Scarblog: One NBA guard's emergence could influence Alabama star Mark Sears' ultimate draft decision

See if you can guess the subject of the following NBA Draft evaluations.

"There's a reason he's not higher on draft boards. He's an older prospect at age 22 who won't stand out physically in the NBA. He doesn't have the size and athleticism that has become the new standard for the point guard position."

"His physical profile is a mixed bag. His strength is impressive, but he's just an average athlete overall and won't blow anyone away with his quickness or explosiveness."

"The defensive end is where the most questions will arise. He projects as a player who can guard only one position, and it is not 100 percent clear that he would be successful in defending NBA point guards."

Raise your hand if you said Mark Sears. Now take that hand and smack yourself in the forehead. The player in question is an undersized left-handed point guard known for his prowess on offense. It is not the Alabama star who has begun the NBA Draft process while keeping open his option to run it back one more time with the Crimson Tide.

[jbcarol]

Alabama forward Mo Dioubate announces return for 2024-25 season

by: Sam Gillenwater
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Alabama already looked set to have a great roster for next season with several players returning and key additions coming into the program. That lineup only improved today with the latest announcement by Mo Dioubate:

Let's run it back! 🐘😈