All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.
All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.
While the official date from the league is not actually until July 19, the NCAA has mandated the deadline of July 7 for players who wish to play college basketball next season.
Prospects who declared as early entry candidates but were just “testing the waters” often opt to return to the collegiate ranks so as to improve their draft stock for the subsequent year instead. But there are several reasons why a player might be even more willing to return to college for another campaign than usual.
For example, seniors have the option to use another year of eligibility because of the massive impact of COVID-19. Others may be interested in playing another year of college in front of fans after last season was met with many restrictions.
Meanwhile, all NCAA athletes also now have the ability to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) for the first time. This offers an avenue to collect some money while still in college without needing to fully commit to turning pro.
Here are the latest updates about who is still testing the waters, who will be turning pro and who will be returning to the NCAA.
We took a look at the participant list for the NBA draft combine and G League Elite Camp to tell us who might return to their college team.
We took a look at the participant list for the NBA draft combine and G League Elite Camp to tell us who might return to their college team.
While there is nothing final about our projections, now that those lists are finalized we know the names of the most notable players who have declared for the draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility.
These prospects, who are all classified as “testing the waters” at this point, are the ones facing the toughest decision for their pro future but may have more clarity now than they did during the college basketball season.
Notre Dame has been high on Trey Wertz from the moment he transferred.
Notre Dame has been high on Trey Wertz from the moment he transferred. After he played well in his Irish debut against No. 21 Duke, Mike Brey rewarded him with his first start in the Crossroads Classic against Purdue. In turn, Wertz justified Brey’s decision by leading all scorers with 27 points, including five 3-pointers, and recording a team-high five assists. It wasn’t enough as the Boilermakers earned an 88-78 victory.
Dec 19, 2020; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Dane Goodwin (23) dribbles the ball while Purdue Boilermakers forward Trevion Williams (50) defends in the second half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Irish (2-4) had all the makings of a team that can stick around but not get over the hump. They trailed by double digits frequently in the first half but went on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to five heading into the locker room. Early in the second half, Dane Goodwin and Nikola Djogo combined to hit three consecutive 3-pointers to tie it at 53. The Boilermakers (6-2) responded by going on their own 9-0 run and never trailed again.
Dec 19, 2020; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Mason Gillis (0) fouls Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Juwan Durham (11) in the second half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Eric Hunter Jr. and Sasha Stefanovic scored 18 points apiece for the Boilermakers and combined to hit 9 of their 14 3s. Hunter also dished out a game-high eight assists. Mason Gillis barely missed a double-double to the tune of 12 points and nine rebounds. Trevion Williams rounded out the Boilermakers’ top scorers with 14 points.
Dec 19, 2020; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Prentiss Hubb (3) dribbles the ball while Purdue Boilermakers guard Eric Hunter Jr. (2) defends in the second half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Cormac Ryan complimented his fellow transfer in Wertz with 14 points. Nate Laszewski scored 13, and Djogo had 11 off the bench. In a surprise disappointment, Prentiss Hubb, the ACC’s leading scorer, was held without a point. However, he tied with Goodwin to lead the Irish with six rebounds.
Wisconsin takes on Purdue in West Lafayette on Friday evening. Badger fans should be familiar with these three opposing players.
After a historically impressive display of shooting in a victory over Nebraska earlier in the week, the next test for Wisconsin (12-7) comes in the form of a Friday evening affair in West Lafayette against Purdue (10-9).
Matt Painter’s Boilermakers are in the midst of a slump, having dropped four of their last five games and two straight, at No. 17 Maryland and at Mackey Arena against No. 21 Illinois on Tuesday. However, there have been some encouraging performances within that stretch: Purdue annihilated No. 8 Michigan State, 71-42, at home on Jan. 12 and gave No. 19 Michigan all it could handle in an 84-78 double-overtime heartbreaker in Ann Arbor three days before that.
Like essentially all of the teams in the Big Ten this season, this is a squad capable of both beating anyone in the conference, especially at home. Make no mistake, the Boilermakers have the personnel in their rotation to make easy work of Wisconsin if the Badgers go out and have one of the trademark abysmal road performances that we have seen from them plenty this year.
With that said, here are the three players on the other side who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout Tuesday’s contest.
Trevion Williams – Forward
Current stats: 11.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 56.8 FG%
Dec 4, 2019; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Trevion Williams (50) reacts in a game against the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Williams has been a revelation for the Boilermakers this season after making a minimal impact as a freshman last year. The 6-9, 270-pound big man out of Chicago has taken a major leap in Year Two in West Lafayette, leading Purdue in both points and rebounds per game despite averaging just 21.2 minutes.
Williams has emerged as one of the top post players in a conference loaded with talent at the position, especially on the glass: he’s pacing the Big Ten in total rebound percentage and is particularly tough to handle on the offensive boards, sitting just behind Rutgers’ Myles Johnson in offensive rebound percentage.
While he’s been solid all season, Williams has really come on strong during the second half, scoring double figures and/or racking up at least seven rebounds in eight of Purdue’s last ten games. He had arguably the top individual performance of Big Ten play to this point in the season on Jan. 9 at Michigan, putting up an absurd stat line of 26 points on 16-28 shooting to go along with a whopping 20 boards in the Boilermakers’ double-overtime loss.
