ESPN still views Notre Dame star freshman Wesley as 1st Round selection

What will Wesley do?

It wasn’t the way the Irish envisioned their season ending, but the gauntlet of winning three games in five days isn’t ideal for any team. The way Notre Dame finished their season will be remembered fondly, the wins over Rutgers then Alabama were unforgettable.

For star freshman Blake Wesley, he’s got a massive decision to make, to return to South Bend for his sophomore season or move on the the NBA. For the home-town star, it’s not going to be easy as many outlets, including ESPN believe that Wesley is first round material (insider).

As the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament has concluded, Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz still have Wesley getting selected early, 20th overall, despite struggling against Texas Tech. They viewed his as “the best prospect on the floor” during the game against the Crimson Tide.

The knock against Wesley was that “the game still moves too quickly” for him but that doesn’t mean the NBA front offices aren’t high on him. Schmitz believes that “with a strong pre-draft process, it’s not out of the question that Wesley gets looks throughout the teens, especially if he shoots the ball well.”

At this point in time it is still unknown what Wesley’s intentions are, if he returns the Irish are clearly a much stronger team. If it’s the NBA, then we will root him on as he continues his career away from home.

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ESPN projects one Notre Dame player to get selected in NBA Draft

WIll he stay or off to the NBA???

The Irish have been enduring a NBA Draft selection drought since 2016, when Demetrius Jackson was selected in the second round with the 45th overall pick by the Boston Celtics. The last first round selection was a year before with Jerian Grant going 19th overall to the Washington Wizards.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz believe that the drought will end this year. They have Irish guard Blake Wesley going 30th overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder in their latest mock NBA Draft (insider).

The Irish freshman has had a very solid season, averaging 14.7 points-per-game while chipping in 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Wesley is shooting 41.1% from the field and oozes with potential.

Wesley will have a big time decision to make at the end of the season, will he return to the Irish and improve on his draft stock or test the NBA waters after just one year in South Bend?

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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Aaron Henry listed as early second round pick in updated ESPN NBA Mock Draft

Michigan State forward Aaron Henry is on the fringe of being a first round pick, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

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Michigan State forward Aaron Henry is right on the fringe of being a first round pick, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Givony released a post-NCAA Tournament NBA mock draft on Thursday, with Henry sitting just outside the first round at No. 32. Givony has the Milwaukee Bucks selecting Henry.

Henry has yet to declare for the 2021 NBA Draft but all signs point to him entering his name into the draft. As Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal pointed out in the tweet above, Henry has been considered a late first/early second round pick by many so it would be hard for him to turn down that opportunity to return to Michigan State for another season.

Henry finished this past season averaging 15.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this season.

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