While various college players announced a return to college over the past few days, Mississippi State’s Robert Woodard II chose a different path.
The Columbus native announced Monday in an Instagram post he planned to forego his junior basketball season and stay in the NBA draft.
“First, I would like to thank God for the opportunities he has given me,” Woodard wrote in an Instagram post. “To the coaches, teammates and HailState family, thank you for your support the past two years. I have had the pleasure of meeting so many great fans.
“As you know, I entered the NBA Draft with the option of maintaining my eligibility. After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to remain in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Bulldog experience will forever run deep in my heart. Once a Bulldog, always a Bulldog.”
Woodard, a 6-foot-7 forward, had a breakout campaign with the Bulldogs as a sophomore, averaging 11.4 points per game and shooting 45 percent from beyond the arc while starting all 31 games for MSU. He scored in double figures 22 times this season.
If selected in the two-round draft, Woodard would be the first Columbus-born player to be taken in the NBA draft since Sedric Toney was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in 1985. Originally scheduled for June 25 but pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA draft will take place on Oct. 16.
Earlier this spring, Woodard chose to enter the draft but not hire an agent in an effort to maintain his collegiate eligibility. Ahead of Monday’s 4 p.m. deadline to return to college, Woodard stayed focused on turning pro.
“I am going into the draft with the intention of not going back to school,” Woodard told ESPN in an article published in April. “I am maintaining my eligibility because of the uncertainty about the dates and what workouts will look like, but I don’t look at it as testing the waters. I am all in with this thing.”
In a conference call with reporters March 30, MSU men’s basketball coach Ben Howland said he stressed the importance of being a first round pick to Woodard.
“We fully support Robert and his decision to pursue the NBA Draft process,” Howland said in a statement in April. “He’s an outstanding talent that possesses every tool to achieve success at the next level.”
He is the fourth MSU player from last year’s roster to turn pro, as Associated Press Co-Southeastern Conference Player of the Year Reggie Perry declared for the NBA draft in late March, while Nick Weatherspoon announced his departure from MSU in the offseason and Tyson Carter will begin a pro career overseas. With Weatherspoon, Woodard, Perry and Carter all gone from the Bulldogs, MSU has lost its top four scorers from a season ago.
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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