Pistons add NCAA tournament standout Tosan Evbuomwan after NBA draft
The Pistons signed Princeton forward Tosan Evbuomwan to an Exhibit 10 contract after Thursday’s NBA draft, a team source confirmed to the Free Press.
Evbuomwan is an improbable story, a 6foot-8, 219-pound forward from Newcastle, England who did not play organized basketball until he was 14.
He averaged 15.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists as a junior for the Tigers last season and shot 51.5% overall and 32.4% from 3.
Evbuomwan (pronounced Uh-WOAH-MA) started 78 of 86 games during his three years at Princeton and put together an impressive resume — Ivy League Player of the Year in 2022, Ivy League Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2023 and First-Team All-Ivy League in 2022 and 2023.
His agent told NJ.com Evbuomwan had an opportunity to be selected at No. 56 by the
Memphis Grizzlies as a draft-and-stash candidate but “wanted to bet on himself.”
Exhibit 10 contracts are typically non-guaranteed, but will allow him to join the Pistons in training camp. It also gives the Pistons the option to sign him to the G League’s Motor City Cruise, or convert his deal to a two-way contract before the start of the regular season.
EMU’s Bates picked by Cavs at No. 52
Eastern Michigan basketball's Emoni Bates has been drafted No. 49 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2023 NBA draft.
Bates on Thursday became the first player from Eastern Michigan to be drafted into the league since Derrick Dials was taken 52nd overall in 1998.
Bates, a Ypsilanti native, had a tumultuous journey to the league. Once a five-star recruit and the No. 1 ranked player in the class of 2023, Bates finished his college career with a team that finished 11th in the Mid-American Conference.
Bates is a 19-year-old 6-foot-9 forward who managed to shine on the court despite the team’s 8-23 record, averaging 19.2 points per game and 5.8 rebounds.
A former high school standout at Ypsilanti Lincoln, Bates led his team to its first ever Division 1 state title as a freshman with a 23-point performance back in 2019.
UDM’s Davis signing with Trail Blazers
Detroit Mercy guard Antoine Davis made history over his five-year NCAA career, finishing three points behind Pete Maravich for the all-time points record.
He will now have a chance to show his scoring chops can translate to the NBA.
After going undrafted Thursday night, Davis is signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, according to The Athletic/ Stadium’s Shams Charania.
Davis is a diminutive 6 feet 1 and 165 pounds, but finished the season averaging an NCAAleading 28.2 points per game for the Titans (1419) as a graduate student.
Davis, who turns 25 in October, had his No. 0 jersey retired by the Titans in a late-season ceremony at Calihan Hall.
MSU’s Hauser headed to Jazz
Joey Hauser will get a shot to join his brother in the NBA.
The former Michigan State basketball forward signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz shortly after the draft early Friday morning. His agency, Glushion Sports Management, confirmed it is a two-way contract.
That means Hauser also will reunite with Steve Wojciechowski, the former Marquette coach he played in his home state Wisconsin for before transferring to MSU before the 201920 season. Wojciechowski was named head coach of the Jazz’s G League team, the Salt Lake City Stars, earlier this month.
The 6-foot-9, 220-pound stretch forward led MSU with seven rebounds per game and a 46.1% 3-point percentage while finishing second in scoring at 14.4 points a game.