Spellman enters name in NBA Draft
Villanova’s Omari Spellman is going to test the NBA waters.
The 6-9 redshirt freshman forward announced Tuesday that he will enter his name in the NBA draft but not hire an agent.
The move allows Spellman to work out for NBA teams but return to Villanova if he so desires. The deadline to withdraw his name from the draft-eligible list is May 30. The draft is June. 21.
“Omari’s intelligence and willingness to be coached allowed him to make great strides last season,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said in a statement released by the university. “His development as a complete Villanova basketball player was instrumental to our team’s success. We look forward to working together with Omari and his family in the coming weeks as they go through the process of evaluating the next step in his basketball career.”
Teammates Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson declared for the draft last week. Bridges has hired an agent and Brunson is in the process of doing so. Teammates Donte DiVincenzo and Eric Paschall have until April 22 to announce if they are going to test their NBA draft status or return to school for another season. Their decisions are expected to come this week.
Spellman earned Big East Freshman of the Year and Philadelphia Big 5 Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 10.9 points, eight rebounds and nearly 1.5 blocked shots per game to help the Wildcats to their second national title in three years. Spellman displayed a soft shooting touch for a big man. He connected on 43.3 percent of his 3-point attempts (65-for-150).
Spellman recorded 10 double-doubles during the season including a 15-point, 13-rebound effort in Villanova’s victory over Kansas in the national semifinals. He also had three blocked shots in that game.
*** Villanova received its first commitment from the Class of 2019 shortly after Spellman announced his decision to enter his name in the NBA draft.
Eric Dixon, a 6-7. 250-pound junior forward from Abington verbally committed to the Wildcats during a news conference at the school Tuesday afternoon. He chose the national champion Wildcats over Virginia, Seton Hall and Louisville.