NCAA News Wire
Kansas C Embiid heading to NBA
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Kansas freshman 7-footer Joel Embiid, considered one of the surprise newcomers in college basketball season, plans to enter the 2014 NBA Draft.
According to multiple reports, Embiid will make a formal announcement as soon as this weekend and he is in the process of selecting an agent.
The 20-year-old Cameroon native told The Sports Xchange in February he would weigh his options after the season and measure those against his development. NBA Draft experts consider Embiid, who has played organized basketball only three years, a top-three pick — and possibly No. 1 — if he decides to leave.
“I’m not even thinking about it right now,” Embiid said in Febraury. “I’ll make a decision after the season, but I’m definitely considering coming back to school.”
Embiid consider redshirting in 2013-14 but went on to average 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. His lone season in Lawrence ended prematurely because of a back injury that will be studied from all angles by NBA evaluators.
“He’s a bright young man and he’s going to weigh his options,” Kansas coach Bill Self said before the start of the NCAA Tournament. “He’s considering coming back and he’s obviously also considering leaving. He can’t make a bad decision.”
Self is also planning to lose freshman Andrew Wiggins, who was hailed as the nation’s top player coming out of high school. North Carolina State’s T.J. Warren and Indiana’s Noah Vonleh are leaving school early to enter the NBA draft and Duke’s Jabari Parker could join them.
