Villanova's Omari Spellman to enter NBA draft but not hire an agent - Philly.com

Villanova redshirt freshman forward Omari Spellman announced Tuesday that he will enter his name in the NBA draft but will not hire an agent.

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In making this move, the 6-foot-9 Spellman will be allowed to meet with and work out for NBA teams but may return to Villanova if he decides he needs another season to improve his draft position. The deadline for withdrawing from the draft is May 30.

At Monday night's Big Five awards banquet, Spellman said he was glad for the options he had.

"I love being in college," he said. "I love being a part of this team, and I love my teammates. Declaring obviously, you get to gather information and things of that nature. If you go, you get to live out your dream. For me, whatever the best decision is, that's the decision I'm going to make."

Villanova's top two scorers, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges, already have declared for the draft, with Bridges having hired an agent and Brunson intending to hire one. Teammates Donte DiVincenzo and Eric Paschall each are expected to make a decision in the coming days about following Spellman's path in the NBA draft process.

Spellman, named rookie of the year in the Big Five and freshman of the year in the Big East, led the Wildcats in rebounding during their national-championship season at 8.0 per game, and averaged 10.9 points. He also showed skill from the three-point line, finishing second on the team with a 43.3 percent mark, and led the team in blocked shots with 59.

"Omari's intelligence and willingness to be coached allowed him to make great strides this season," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "His development as a complete Villanova basketball player was instrumental to our team's success.

"We look forward to working with Omari and his family in the coming weeks as they go through the process of evaluating the next step in his basketball career."

Published: April 17, 2018 — 11:12 AM EDT

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