SEATTLE — Even though the date, and Isaiah Thomas’ history as a prankster, might leave a shred of hope in the minds of local basketball fans, the star guard swears this is no April Fools joke.
The junior guard won’t play another game for the University of Washington men’s basketball tea
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Thomas announced Thursday that he’ll forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the NBA draft, adding that there’s no chance he’ll be back next season.
“It was very difficult for me,” Thomas said during a conference call Thursday. “Ever since the season ended, that’s all that was on my mind. And leaving the University of Washington is the hardest thing I’ve done in my life. It’s the best three years of my life.”
While the NBA draft process allows for underclassmen to leave the door open to return to school provided they don’t hire an agent, Thomas said that won’t the case.
“Yes, it’s a goodbye,” he said. “Sorry to say, but I feel like this is the right time to make this decision.”
Thomas, who is two classes shy of earning his degree, said family was a key part of his decision but added that financial hardship was not a factor.
Most likely he was intrigued by a draft class that is relatively thin in pure point guards, which could push Thomas up some draft boards after he works out for scouts in the coming months.
The top-rated point guards appear to be a pair of freshmen who have yet to make themselves eligible for the draft: Duke’s Kyrie Irving and Kentucky’s Brandon Knight. The next group of point guards includes high-scoring college players such as BYU’s Jimmer Fredette, Connecticut’s Kemba Walker and Duke’s Nolan Smith, all of whom were asked to score more than distribute at the college level.
After that, the class includes a bunch of late-first and early-second-round projections, including Cleveland State’s Norris Cole, Michigan’s Darius Morris and Kansas State’s Jacob Pullen.
“I feel like with the guards coming out this year, I have a really good chance of going high in the draft,” Thomas said. “I can showcase my talent. I don’t feel like it’s a real strong draft class with the point guards this year, and I’m just very confident in myself.”
The 5-foot-9 Thomas is not among the 60 projected picks — including underclassmen — currently listed on NBAdraft.net’s latest mock draft. Draftexpress.com ranks 100 top prospects of all classes, and Thomas’s name is not included. His size and inconsistent outside shooting will prove to be hurdles in the draft process, but Thomas’s strength, speed and uncanny knack to score over bigger defenders in the paint could make him an attractive prospect.
Thomas played off guard for most of his first two seasons at UW but moved to point guard as a junior after a knee injury sidelined Abdul Gaddy. Thomas still ranked fourth in the Pac-10 in scoring (16.8 points per game) and led the conference in assists (6.1 per game). His 213 assists last season were the second-most in UW history.
UW’s cupboard won’t be bare, with Gaddy and incoming freshman prodigy Tony Wroten Jr. at the point guard position and deadly outside shooters C.J. Wilcox and Scott Suggs returning on the wings. But the loss of Thomas, who led UW in scoring in two of his three seasons at the school and ranks sixth on the school’s all-time scoring list, definitely hurts.
With Thomas in the fold, the Huskies could have entered next season with a top-25 ranking and a player-of-the-year candidate. Without him, UW probably drops out of top-25 consideration.
UW coach Lorenzo Romar said he wasn’t overly surprised at the announcement, and he fully supports Thomas’s decision.
“This is something he’s always wanted to do,” Romar said Thursday night. “He’s always been doubted because of his size, and this will be the ultimate test.”
Thomas consulted with family members, Romar and NBA friends such as Dallas guard Jason Terry before making his decision. He said he’s been told that he projects to a “mid-first to early-second” round pick. Thomas added that he believes his stock will soar after he shows what he can do in workouts.
But Thomas said he won’t have any regrets about the decision — even if he goes undrafted in June.
“I’m definitely not conflicted,” he said. “I know what I want to do. It (stinks) that I’m leaving the best college in the world in the University of Washington, but at the end of the day, I have to do what’s best for me and my family.”
And, no, it’s not any kind of April Fools joke.
“That’s why I didn’t do it (a day later),” he said.
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