James Blackmon Jr. has declared for the NBA Draft but will not hire an agent, meaning he could still return to IU.
The rising junior guard missed the final 22 games of last season after injuring his right knee in December. Blackmon was IU’s second-leading scorer with 15.8 points a game before his surgery in January.
He has until May 25 to withdraw from the draft process.
“James is going to test the waters and see where he stands in the eyes of the NBA at this time,” IU Coach Tom Crean said. “He is going to go through the process with both eyes open with the goal of receiving the most complete and current evaluation possible.”
Blackmon also considered declaring for the draft after his freshman season but returned to Bloomington. This was before the new rules for allowing a player to declare and still return to college were instituted.
In March, there was speculation Blackmon might transfer, but Blackmon quickly denied this.
After junior college forward Freddie McSwain committed to IU on Sunday night, IU is now over-signed by one player. If Blackmon or rising senior forward Troy Williams hires an agent, IU will have the correct amount of scholarship players.
Michael Hughes
