Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Joe enters draft; UA return open
FAYETTEVILLE — Isaiah Joe submitted paperwork to enter his name in the NBA Draft on Monday, University of Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman said, but he’s holding a scholarship for the Razorbacks’ 6-5 guard from Fort Smith.
Musselman said Joe — who has two seasons of eligibility remaining after averaging 16.9 points and 4.1 rebounds as a sophomore — has not signed with an agent.
“He’ll keep the door open for a possible return to college,” Musselman said. “Isaiah and his family, they want to gather as much feedback as they possibly can. They want to learn through this process and then make a decision whenever that time comes, whether to keep his name in the draft or to come back to the University of Arkansas.
“We had a Zoom call [Monday] with our current team, and Isaiah was on it. He’ll remain part of everything that we do going forward. He’ll just kind of have a dual role in pursuing that [NBA] goal as well as doing anything that we do as a program.”
Early entries have until June 3 to withdraw their names from the draft to retain their college eligibility. The draft is scheduled for June 25.
As of Monday, according to Yahoo Sports, there were 127 college players with eligibility who had declared for the draft, which has 60 picks over two rounds.
Musselman, a former NBA coach with the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, said he has gotten “good feedback” from NBA personnel regarding Joe, but he didn’t want to be specific about his draft grade.
“We put together a little book for Isaiah so he can also share it with his family,” Musselman said. “I’m on the phone a lot with his father, Derrick, and we communicate more than a few times during the week.
“[Joe] has received his feedback back from the undergraduate [advisory] committee. That came back a few days ago. You know a lot of those conversations obviously will remain private. But he has gotten good feedback, and people recognize what a great player he is.”
Joe is projected as a second-round pick by several websites with mock drafts. The rankings include No. 35 by CBS Sports, No. 40 by Sports Illustrated, No. 44 by The Athletic and No. 49 by NBADraft.net.
ESPN rates Joe as the No. 62 prospect for the draft, which is two spots after the final pick.
“I have no doubt that whatever decision Isaiah and his family make will be for sure the right decision,” Musselman said. “I mean, they are not hiring an agent. That was made abundantly clear.
“They’re going through the process to use it as a feedback time to try to make the best decision that they possibly can. But they are not hiring an agent, for sure.”
Mason Jones — who as an Arkansas junior guard this season averaged an SEC-leading 22.3 points and was The Associated Press co-conference player of the year along with Mississippi State forward Reggie Perry — has said he plans to stay in the draft after entering his name on March 27.
Jones is not projected to be selected in the NBA Draft.
“I expect Mason to pursue [a pro career], but it’s up to Mason to make his decision,” Musselman said. “He’ll make it public whenever he’s ready to.”
Excluding Jones but including Joe, Arkansas has 13 scholarship players with its six-man signing class and returnees.
“Certainly Isaiah Joe’s scholarship is clearly in place at Arkansas, so we’re not going to recruit as if he’s not here,” Musselman said. “We will recruit as if he is here, and then if he decides to go to the NBA, we’ll expect our guys on our roster to step up and have an extended role.”