The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Okogie to stay in NBA draft
Former Georgia Tech guard’s fine combine makes decision easy.
Josh Okogie arrived at Georgia Tech from Shiloh High in 2016 as a three-star prospect, rated the 11th-best prospect in the state of Georgia by one service and unrated in another. No other ACC team saw fit to offer him a scholarship.
He leaves in considerably higher regard. After earning third-team All-ACC honors this past season and then standing out at the NBA draft combine this past weekend, Okogie announced Monday that he will give up his final two years of collegiate eligibility. He had declared himself an early entry to the draft after the season, but, not hiring an agent, held open the possibility of returning for his junior season.
“I’m extremely humbled and grateful for this opportunity to fulfill my childhood dream,” Okogie wrote in a statement posted to his Twitter account.
Ultimately, Okogie’s eldest brother, Evaristus, said the decision would come down to feedback from NBA scouts, and the Okogies evidently heard what they needed to hear. “A bunch of teams see him going somewhere in the first or very early in the second,” said Evaristus, who has guided the process for his family.
As he went through the predraft process, Okogie was seen as an athletic guard who played at a high level of effort. Scouts surmised that, with his level of athletic ability and willingness to defend, he could open a lot of eyes at the combine in Chicago. He was seen as one of the big winners of the combine, first in his measurables (he was one
of four guards with a wingspan of 7-0 and his max vertical leap of 42 inches tied for the best) and then in 5-on-5 scrimmages. “I think he helped himself a lot,” an NBA scout told the AJC, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Obviously, he defended really well. He plays with great toughness, and in the second game, he really passed the ball well.” “I like how aggressive he was getting to the basket and shooting,” a second NBA scout said. He likely showed the effort, speed and savvy that highlighted the first two years of coach Josh Pastner’s tenure at Tech. As a sophomore, he averaged 18.2 points per game, fourth in the ACC, and became only the sixth Tech player to reach 1,000 points in two seasons. “We had some pretty positive feedback from the combine,” Evaristus Okogie said. “He did extremely well.” Okogie had a handful of workouts for NBA teams (including the Hawks) prior to the combine and his brother said that more teams are interested in bringing him in. The draft is June 21. “It was just the best decision for him,” Evaristus Okogie said. “Just keep rolling.” Okogie’s decision leaves the Yellow Jackets without three of their top four scorers (Okogie, guard Tadric Jackson and center Ben Lammers) and their top two rebounders (Lammers and Okogie). After a 13-19 season (6-12 in the ACC), the Jackets appear hard-pressed to improve upon those marks in Pastner’s third season.