Over the weekend, Baylor’s all-american center Johnathan Motley received word that he had been invited to the NBA Draft combine in Chicago later this month.
That must have been the icing on the cake, because the 6-foot-11 Motley is expected to sign with an agent and forego his final season of eligibility, according to a report from CBS Sports.
Motley averaged 17.3 points and 9.9 boards for the Bears last season. At one point in the year, Baylor had climbed into the No. 1 ranking in the country, but their ended the season with a 12-6 record in the Big 12 and a loss in the Sweet 16 to the East Region’s surprise Final Four team, South Carolina.
Making this decision more complicated, however, is that Motley, who is already 22 years old and a redshirt junior, is a borderline first round pick that is currently recovering from a torn meniscus that he suffered in that season-ending loss. Will he be able to play in workouts and at the combine? If he does, will he actually be in shape?