ACC Basketball: League-wide Early-Entry Update
After a dominating March (other than the final game), the A.C.C. was one heck of a basketball conference in 2015-2016. That is the good news. The bad news is that so much talent inevitably leads to a departure of such high-skilled talent. For a few, it is graduation. For the underclassmen, however, it is the temptation of the NBA. Here is the latest update on what ACC players are leaving:
- Abdul Malik Abu 6-8 240 PF NC State So.
- Anthony Barber 6-2 185 PG NC State Jr.
- VJ Beachem 6-8 200 SF Notre Dame Jr.
- Malik Beasley 6-5 195 SG Florida St. Fr.
- Jaron Blossomgame 6-7 220 SF Clemson Jr.
- Brandon Ingram 6-9 195 SF Duke Fr.
- Demetrius Jackson 6-1 194 PG Notre Dame Jr.
- Chinanu Onuaku 6-10 245 C Louisville So.
- Xavier Rathan Meyes 6-2 190 PG Florida St. So.
The sad part, of course, is that several of the players on this list are not even likely to be drafted at all. One can only hope that it is worth it ultimately. It is easy to criticize, but being able to get paid a living wage to play basketball is not the worst thing in the world either.
There are still a few players to keep an eye on. Syracuse’s Malachi Richardson and North Carolina’s Justin Jackson had deep March runs and could be drafted in the first round (albeit the latter half). If you are fans of those schools, you might want to hold off on expectations for 2016-2017 that include them.
If you hear any news before we do, please do not hesitate to share here or on Twitter.
The Confidential 
Keep in mind that the NBA relaxed their rules about declaring for the draft and returning to college. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the players can now declare for the draft, even attend combines, and then have the ability to pull-out before the deadline if they haven’t signed with an agent
It’s designed to allow players to test the waters and come back if they still have eligibility. If this rule change results in an increase in the number of players that declare, then NBA teams can be more selective, and in theory more players could return to college.
I don’t have the time to research the players listed, but did any of them sign with agents?