by The Cowl Editor on April 6, 2017
Sports
by Max Anderson ’18
Sports Staff
Friar fans received some sad news on March 29, 2017 when star basketball player Rodney Bullock ’18 announced he would declare for the 2017 NBA Draft. Bullock, who led the Friars in scoring this year with 15.7 points per game, is the first Friar underclassman to declare for the draft.
While on paper this seems like devastating news for the Friars, there is a silver lining to Bullock’s decision; Bullock did not hire an agent after declaring, meaning he can still return to PC next season.
Since the NBA began to allow underclassmen to declare for the draft, the rule has been that a student athlete can retain his college eligibility, only if he chooses to not hire an agent. However, once a player hires an agent, he forgoes his remaining eligibility, and cannot return to college. The process of declaring, but not hiring, an agent is called “testing the waters,” and allows athletes to gather information about where they might be drafted and where their stock currently lies.
Another rule was instituted last year that will also work in Bullock’s favor; the NBA extended the deadline for student athletes to withdraw from the draft process to 10 days after the NBA Draft Combine. Originally, athletes usually had until the end of April to decide whether they would stay in the draft. The only way a player could participate in the combine under these rules was to hire an agent and surrender his remaining college years. However, the NBA changed this deadline last season to allow the athletes in the draft to work out for teams at the combine. If the athlete had a good combine, he could help boost his stock in the draft; however, if the athlete struggled during the combine, he could still return to school.
Currently, Bullock is not ranked in any of the leading NBA Mock Draft websites, including NBADraft.net, DraftExpress.com, or CBSsports.com. However, should Bullock have a great combine, it could immediately vault him into the second, or potentially even the first round. There have been plenty of players in the past who have been off the draft radar heading into the combine, but have outperformed expectations and been drafted because of it.
The return of Bullock to PC for his senior season would be big for the Friars.With Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart both graduating this summer, Villanova’s reign of terror in the Big East may finally be coming to an end, leaving the door wide open for any team to claim the Big East throne. Providence will retain nearly its entire roster from this past season, meaning the Friars could be the favorites to win the Big East next year, especially with other teams like Creighton, Xavier, Seton Hall and Butler suffering heavy losses, either from graduation, or draft declarations. However, athletes should do what they feel is in their best interest, and if Bullock feels the time is right to take the next step, then that is his choice.
Before last Wednesday, interest in the NBA draft from a Friar’s point of view was at a minimum. However, after Bullock’s announcement, fans will be glued to NBA Draft news to see if Bullock will have one more try at NCAA glory, or if he will move on to the next level.