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Iowa State’s Talen Horton-Tucker declaring for draft

NCAA Ohio St Iowa St Basketball

Iowa State’s Talen Horton-Tucker (11) shoots over Ohio State’s Keyshawn Woods (32) during the first half of a first round men’s college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament Friday, March 22, 2019, in Tulsa, Okla. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

AP

One of the youngest players in college basketball this season is going to test the draft waters.

Talen Horton-Tucker, an Iowa State freshman who turned 18 just this past November, will declare for the draft, he announced Monday.

“After speaking with my family and coaching staff at Iowa State, I believe that this is in my best interest to begin the next chapter of my life and declare for the 2019 NBA Draft,” Horton-Tucker said in a statement released on social media.

Horton-Tucker intrigues NBA front offices because of his age - he didn’t turn 18 until he’d already played six games this season for the Cyclones - and a 6-foot-4, 248-pound frame that features a plus-7-foot wingspan and guard skills. He averaged 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 40.6 percent from the floor and 30.8 percent from distance.

His freshman campaign with Iowa State, which won the Big 12 tournament and bowed out of the NCAA tournament with a first-round upset courtesy of Ohio State, was inconsistent with considerable highs and difficult lows. Given his measurables and a ceiling, it’s easy to see how NBA evaluators could fall in love with his potential as he goes through the predraft process.

Underclassmen have until May 29th to decide whether or not they will return to school.