Florida guards Nembhard & Mann declare for NBA draft
Wake Forest fire coach
GAINESVILLE, Florida, April 27, (AP): Florida guards Andrew Nembhard and Tre Mann have declared for the NBA draft while keeping open the option of returning to school.
The Gators made the announcement, the final day underclassmen had to decide on their futures.
Nembhard hired NCAA-certified agent Jaafar Choufani so he can retain his college eligibility and potentially return to school. He also declared for the draft last year and eventually returned to Florida after not getting invited to the NBA scouting combine.
The sophomore averaged 11.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 2019-20. With 173 assists and 80 turnovers, his assist-to-turnover ratio ranked 49th in the country. Mann, a freshman, averaged 5.3 points off the bench.
The Gators seem to be equipped to handle both potential departures. They have Ques Glover and former Cleveland State standout Tyree Appleby to play the point next season.
Decisions by Nembhard Mann come after two other Florida starters - guard Scottie Lewis and forward Keyontae Johnson - decided to return to school.
South Carolina leading scorer A.J. Lawson is entering the NBA draft for a second straight season.
Gamecocks coach Frank Martin confirmed that Lawson would not hire an agent, meaning he could return to the team for his junior season.
Lawson is a 6-foot-6 forward from Toronto, Canada considered an NBA prospect when he stepped on campus two seasons ago. He entered the draft last year, but was not invited to the league’s combine. He held individual workouts for several teams before coming back to the Gamecocks.
Chris Marcus, a two-time Associated Press All-America honorable mention selection during a decorated career at center for Western Kentucky, has died. He was 40.
The school said Marcus died in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina,
but did not state a cause of death.
Considered one of WKU’s most dominant big men, the 7-foot-1 Marcus had 1,113 points and 795 rebounds for the Hilltoppers and led the nation at 12.1 boards per game in 2001. He was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year that season and earned his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award.
Danny Manning never built a winner at Wake Forest. Now the school is looking for a new coach and direction.
Wake Forest fired Manning after losing seasons in five of his six years with one NCAA Tournament appearance. The move came more than six weeks after the Demon Deacons lost to Pittsburgh in the opening game of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, ending the season shortly before the coronavirus pandemic led to a shutdown of college and professional sports.
The decision came after what athletic director John Currie called an “overall evaluation” of a program with two winning seasons in the past decade going back to the days of Jeff Bzdelik.
Gonzaga sophomore Joel Ayayi declared for the NBA draft but will not hire an agent.
The 6-foot-5 guard from France said his top option remains returning for his junior season. Ayayi averaged 10.6 points and 6.3 rebounds last season and was voted the most outstanding player of the West Coast Conference Tournament.
He added he will work with Coach Mark Few and the staff in reaching a decision before the draft’s withdrawal date.
San Diego State junior forward Matt Mitchell has declared for the NBA draft while keeping open the option of returning to school.
The Aztecs made the announcement, the final day underclassmen had to decide on their futures.
The school said Mitchell did not hire an agent, allowing him to maintain his college eligibility.
Mitchell has until June 3 to withdraw from draft consideration and return to SDSU.