Two of the Southeastern Conference's top players, All-American Lawrence Roberts of Mississippi State and Brandon Bass of LSU, pulled out of the NBA draft Thursday and will return to their schools next season.
Saint Joseph's guard Delonte West, meanwhile, will skip his senior season and remain in the June 24 draft, despite not being projected as a first-round pick. Only players selected in the first round get guaranteed contracts.
Charlotte center Martin Iti and Washington guard Nate Robinson also withdrew their names from consideration before the Thursday afternoon deadline.
Roberts, the SEC's player of the year, said there were "too many unanswered questions" after he participated in last week's NBA predraft camp.
"Anytime you have a situation like that, the best remedy is to answer the questions people have in their heads," Roberts told ESPNews. "That's going back to school, and proving I'm a higher pick than people might think."
Bass was the SEC's freshman of the year, averaging 12.8 points and 7.4 rebounds a game. After the camp, Bass also worked out for the Boston Celtics, Indianapolis Pacers and San Antonio Spurs.
"I learned what I need to improve on and I got a feel for what my strengths are," Bass said. "It was a tough decision, but I feel good about it."
West, an honorable mention All-American last season, played well at the predraft camp in Chicago while battling through a sprained right foot. He averaged 18.9 points and 5.4 rebounds for Saint Joseph's.
High school star Al Jefferson, a possible lottery pick, is staying in the draft pool but won't sign with an agent, leaving open the possibility that he could play college ball for Arkansas. The forward averaged 42.6 points, 18 rebounds and seven blocks during his senior season at Prentiss (Miss.) High School.
Iti declared for the draft in May and participated in the predraft camp but he didn't sign with an agent. The 7-foot player from Australia averaged 6.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game and made Conference USA's all-freshman team.
Robinson was a key member of the Huskies, who went 19-12 last season and reached the NCAA tournament. He averaged 13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals as a sophomore.
"I'm going to take Husky basketball back to where it needs to be, back to a winning program like we did last year, and even better," Robinson said.
Monday
May 19th, 2025
11:38PM
