NEWSLETTER
Wednesday, May 29th was the final day for players who entered the NBA Draft pool to decide on their official draft status. After the college season, players were able to declare for the NBA Draft and go through the process, including the NBA Draft Combine. The league still allows a stretch of time for players to change their minds and head back to school, which is what several notable names did this week.
While the list of NBA Draft Prospects heading back to college wasn’t all that unpredictable, there were a couple of surprises for sure. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest names that will be back in school for 2024-25!
NBA Draft Prospects Going Back To College
First things first, here’s a list of arguably the most notable names:
Hunter Sallis of Wake Forest is probably the biggest surprise for me. He was projected by some to be a mid-late first-round pick and likely had the chance to land in a pretty good spot. Sallis transferred from Gonzaga to Wake Forest last season and had a fantastic first year in the ACC. He averaged 18.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 2.5 APG per game. Clearly, he thinks he can better take the next step in his development by staying at Wake for one more year, and I’m sure he got a nice NIL package to do so.
Alex Karaban was probably the biggest question mark on that list. Karaban impressed at the combine and was one of the key cogs in UConn’s National Championship run last season. He had all the potential to climb up boards and enter the back end of the first round in June’s NBA Draft. However, another big year for the Huskies playing an even bigger role could make him a potential lottery pick in 2025. So that combined with the chance to three-peat as an NCAA Champion swayed Karaban back to UConn.
Mark Sears and Caleb Love are two names that aren’t that big of a surprise to see heading back, but will have a huge impact on college basketball next season. Sears returning to Tuscaloosa makes the Tide one of the favorites to win the National Championship in 2024-25. However, he’s a bit undersized and likely would have been a second-round pick. It’s very likely his NBA Draft stock combined with an NIL package and Alabama’s potential for success were too good to pass up on. He’ll be joined by teammate Jarin Stevenson, who also withdrew from the Draft and will go back to Bama for his sophomore year.
Caleb Love withdrew his name from the Draft and will play another season for Arizona. Love’s ceiling is incredibly high, but unfortunately, it’s been consistency that has plagued him and his stock. A big year could vault Love into the first round of next year’s NBA Draft, and Arizona entering the Big 12 will provide him with all the opportunities to show that off on a huge stage for a premier program. The Wildcats would surely be among the highest teams ranked int he preseason polls.
This year’s NBA Draft will be held on June 26th and 27th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. For the first time in the event’s history, it will be a two-night affair with the first round taking place on Wednesday the 26th and the second round on Thursday the 27th. You can check out our latest 2024 NBA Mock Draft here.
