Last Wednesday, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee sponsored a proposal in ?Indianapolis to allow college underclassmen to return to school after declaring for the NBA draft, according to ESPN’s Andy Katz.
The proposal, which was coordinated by the NCAA, the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the NBA, must be confirmed in January before it can be made official.
Committee chair and UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero told ESPN the change could be implemented in time for next year’s draft.
If the NBA draft entry rule change is approved, underclassmen will be able to “attend the Chicago pre-draft combine in May, get evaluated by team personnel and given a true reading on their draft status,” Katz wrote. Players could also attend a workout with one NBA team.
If the proposal is adopted, an underclassman is eligible to return to school after going through pre-draft evaluations as long as he doesn’t sign with an agent. Currently, players aren’t allowed to return to school after officially declaring for the draft.
In accordance with the collective bargaining agreement, the NBA will continue to have an early entry deadline in late April and an official withdrawal date of 10 days before the draft, per the report.
The proposal would make the NBA draft more like the MLB draft, which allows underclassmen to return to school after they are drafted.
“This is a positive development for student athletes exploring their professional dreams,” Dan Gavitt, NCAA vice president of men’s basketball, told ESPN. “This would give prospects and their families more appropriate time and unbiased info from the NBA to make important decisions. And it would probably lead some to go back to school.”
IU could have as many as four NBA draft prospects next season — Troy Williams, James Blackmon Jr., Thomas Bryant and Yogi Ferrell, three of whom will be ?underclassmen.
Williams, who is projected to be selected 25th in next year’s NBA draft by Draft Express, Blackmon Jr. and Ferrell tested the NBA waters this offseason, but each elected to return to Bloomington. Williams announced April 8 he would return to school for his junior year, while Blackmon Jr. and Ferrell didn’t make their decisions until late April.
“The new proposal would allow underclassmen to wait up to 10 days after the conclusion of the NBA draft combine in Chicago,” Katz wrote. “The combine was May 13-17 this season. That means underclassmen would have until the last week of May to withdraw from the NBA draft.”
Cliff Alexander, Brandon Ashley, Michael Frazier III, Aaron Harrison, Trevor Lacey, Terran Petteway, Robert Upshaw, Michael Qualls, Chris Walker and Christian Wood are examples of players who could have benefited from the proposal ?this year.
They are the most notable underclassmen who declared for the NBA draft but weren’t selected.
While the proposal could pose challenges in recruiting for college coaches, it is designed to allow college players more opportunities to learn about their draft stock through evaluations from NBA teams, creating a more transparent process for underclassmen who are in limbo between the college ranks and ?the pros.
