Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Arkansas sophomore guard B.J. Young to enter 2013 NBA Draft

SEC Arkansas Vanderbilt Basketball

Arkansas guard BJ Young (11) heads to the basket as Vanderbilt center Josh Henderson (40) watches during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Southeastern Conference tournament, Thursday, March 14, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

AP

(CLICK HERE to follow along with who is turning pro and who is returning to school.)

Just two days after junior forward Marshawn Powell announced his intentions to enter the 2013 NBA Draft, Arkansas announced on Thursday afternoon that sophomore guard B.J. Young will do the same.

The St. Louis native was a second team All-SEC selection this season, posting averages of 15.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Young (6-3, 180 pounds) started 25 of the 31 games in which he played, shooting 44.9% from the field and 22.7% from beyond the arc.

Young’s future at the pro level would be at the point and he played the position during his time in Fayetteville, but Young is seen by scouts as a combo guard at this stage in the evaluation process. Young withdrew his name from consideration before the mid-April deadline last season, and per NCAA rules a player is allowed to do so just once during their collegiate career.

“I met with B.J. and his father today and B.J. expressed his interest to enter his name in the NBA Draft,” Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson said in a statement released by the school. “This is his dream and as a coach I encourage him to pursue that dream.

“I gave him the pros and cons of his decision and he chose to enter the draft. B.J. has become a well-rounded player, leading us in scoring and assists and he became a more active rebounder.”

DraftExpress.com ranks Young seventh among NCAA sophomores and 27th on its list of the top 100 prospects for the 2013 NBA Draft. Without Young the Razorbacks still have talent on the perimeter, led by rising junior Rashad Madden and rising senior Mardracus Wade, but this is a big loss for Mike Anderson.

Arkansas’ two commitments in the 2013 class are both big men (Moses Kingsley and Bobby Portis), so Young’s departure may lead to the staff looking to land a late addition on the perimeter.

Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.