Bouknight declares for NBA Draft
James Bouknight’s short but often spectacular career at UConn is over. The 6foot-5 sophomore guard will forgo his final two years of college eligibility and enter the 2021 NBA Draft, he announced via social media on Wednesday.
“I’ve been thinking about it and talking about it with the coaches and the people in my circle,” he said on a Zoom call. “We felt this was the best decision for me and my future aspirations.”
Bouknight appeared emotional during the call, and admitted that while typing out his message for Twitter and Instagram Wednesday morning, his hands started trembling.
“I’ve never felt that way before,” Bouknight admitted.
Here’s part of what he came up with:
“Playing in the NBA has been a dream of mine since I was a kid, and to be in this position is a dream come true. UConn has become my home away from home and I will always BLEED BLUE!!!”
“Today’s an incredible day, such a joyous day,” coach Dan Hurley said. “Just waking up this morning, knowing how impor
tant a moment it is for James and his family and our program, and the job the staff has done and the work he’s put in. Today’s a joyous day. Tomorrow, we’ll talk about, as a staff, how we’re going to fill the void of such a talent leaving. But today is just pure joy, when you feel like you’ve contributed, in some way, to a young person like James, and how his time with you has improved the prospects of his life and the trajectory of his family.”
Indeed, Hurley didn’t once consider trying to talk Bouknight out of it.
“For me, in good conscience, knowing James’ talent level and what he potentially could accomplish at the NBA level, there wasn’t an ounce of me that wanted to selfishly try to talk a kid out of changing his life and the life of his family for the better.”
Bouknight spent two seasons at UConn in which he displayed the type of talent and potential not seen in Storrs since the Jim Calhoun Era. Unfortunately
for the Brooklyn, N.Y. product, Bouknight also battled injuries and other issues, and never quite established the type of legacy former Huskies like Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton and Kemba Walker accomplished in Storrs.
Bouknight averaged 20.7 points per game this past season in Big East play, which would have led the conference if he had played more than just nine league games. His dynamic athleticism, smooth style and shooting stroke were never more evident than on Dec. 20, when he poured in 40
points in an overtime loss to Creighton. It was the second-highest scoring outing ever for a player making his Big East debut.
However, an elbow injury, suffered in a game at Marquette on Jan. 5, ultimately sidelined him for eight games over the ensuing six weeks. He had surgery on Jan. 12 for bone spurs in his left elbow.
After his return on Feb. 16 against Providence, Bouknight helped the Huskies to seven wins in their next eight games, all by double digit margins. However, UConn lost to Creighton
in a Big East tournament semifinal game, then to Maryland in an NCAA tournament first-round contest to end its season.
“After we lost, I wanted to come back,” Bouknight confessed. “That’s just how I felt. Anger, sadness, whatever it was, that’s what I felt in my heart. But I talked to my parents and the people in my circle about it, and saw that this was the best decision.”
“You knew part of James probably wishes he could run it back,” Hurley added. “He knew he had to go, it was the only decision he could make here. But, I know he’s gonna miss this place. I know he wanted the chance to play in front of the fans again, try to make a deep run in March. I know that’s something he wanted to do.”
For the season, Bouknight averaged 18.7 points per game, shot 45-percent from the floor and grabbed 5.7 boards per contest overall. He was an All-Big East First Team selection and the USBWA District 1 Player of the Year.