When Ernie Kent was fired, there was one refrain: The new coach of the Washington State Cougars has to figure out a way to keep CJ Elleby, perhaps the most accomplished freshman in program history.
There’s now a chance — however small — that Kyle Smith could lose Elleby to the pros, as he declared his intention to explore the NBA Draft. He will not be hiring an agent and could return to school if he withdraws his name before June 1.
Here’s Elleby’s full statement:
Most players will remain the draft if they are believed to be a first round lock; it’s hard to imagine Elleby receiving that kind of evaluation, but weird things happen, I guess.