Purdue’s Edey returning to school; Kentucky’s Tshiebwe stays in NBA draft

Purdue’sZach Edey decided it was the right call to go back to schoolinstead of staying in the NBA draft. His predecessor as nationalplayer of the year, Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, is sticking with hispro pursuit.

AndConnecticut’s reign as NCAA champion will begin with multiplestarters having left for the NBA draft and one returning afterflirting with doing the same.

The7-foot-4 Edey and UConn guard Tristen Newton were among the notablenames to announce that they were withdrawing from the draftWednesday, the NCAA’s deadline for players who declared as earlyentrants to pull out and retain their college eligibility.

Edey’sdecision came Wednesday night, in social media posts fromboththecenterandthe Boilermakersprogramthat earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAATournamentbehindEdey, The Associated Press men’s national player of theyear.

ButTshiebweannounced late in the afternoon that he wouldremain in the draftafter a college career thatincludedbeingnamed the AP national player of the year in 2022.

For thecurrent champions, Newton (10.1 points, 4.7 assists, 4.5rebounds)isreturningafter being one of four Huskies to declare forthe draft after a runtoUConn’s fifth national championship in early April. He scored agame-high 19 points to go with 10 rebounds in the victory over SanDiego State in the title game.

The otherswereFinalFour Most Outstanding Player Adama Sanogo, wing Jordan Hawkinsand versatile guard Andre Jackson Jr. Sanogo (17.8 points) andHawkins (16.3) have made it clear they have closed the door ontheir college careers, while team spokesman Phil Chardis saidWednesday night that Jackson (6.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.6assists) would remain in the draft.

The Huskieshave 247sports’ No. 3-ranked recruiting class for next year torestock the roster, led by McDonald’s All-American point guardStephon Castle.

The NBA’swithdrawal deadline is June 12, but is moot when it comes tocollege players returning to school due to the NCAA’s earliertimeline to retain playing eligibility.

STAYING IN SCHOOL

TREYALEXANDER:Creighton gets back a6-4 guard who averaged 13.6 points and shot 41% from 3-point rangein his first full season as a starter.

ADEM BONA:The 6-foot-10 forward and Pac-12 freshman of theyearis returning toUCLAafter starting 32 games as a rookie and averaging 7.7points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks — with coach Mick Croninpraising his toughness for “competing through multiple injuries foras long as he could” in a statement Wednesday.

EDEY: Heaveraged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.5 assistswhile shooting 60.7% from the field. His presence alone helpsPurdue be a factor in the Big Ten race.

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: The 6-6 guard went through the NBA G LeagueCombine and had workouts with multiple teamsbefore opting toreturnto Tennessee for a fifth season alongside teammateSantiago Vescovi.

JUDAHMINTZ: The 6-3 freshman averaged 16.3 points and 4.6assistsfor Syracuse, ranking thirdamong Division I freshmen in scoring behind only Alabama’s BrandonMiller and Lamar’s Nate Calmese.

OWLS’RETURNEES: Florida Atlantic got good news after its surprise FinalFour run with the return leading scorers Johnell Davis (13.8) andAlijah Martin (13.4).ESPN firstreportedtheir decisions, while Martinlaterposted a social mediastatement.

TERRENCESHANNON JR.: Illinois got a big boost with Shannonannouncing his returnWednesday night in a social media post. The 6-6 guard isreturning for a fifth college season after averaging 17.2points.

SPARTANS’RETURNEES:Michigan Stateannouncedthat guards Jaden Akins and A.J. Hoggard havewithdrawn from the NBA draft. Standout guard Tyson Walker hadpreviously withdrawn in April, setting up Tom Izzo to have five ofhis top scorers back.

GOING PRO

KOBE BROWN:Missouri’s 6-8 swingmanopted against returningfor a fifth college seasonafter being anAPfirst-team all-Southeastern Conference pickaveraging 15.8points last season.

JAYLENCLARK: The third-year UCLA guard averaged 13.0 points and 6.0rebounds while leading the Pac-12 with 2.6 steals en route to beingnamed Naismith national defensive player of the year. Cronin calledhim a winner with strong intangibles who made UCLA “a betterprogram because he chose to be a Bruin.”

BRICESENSABAUGH: The Ohio State freshman averaged 16.3 points and 5.4rebounds in 31 games before missing his final two in the Big TenTournament due to a knee injury. He’s a potential first-roundprospect.

TSHIEBWE:The 6-9, 260-pound forward is a tough interior presence who led thecountry in rebounds for two straight seasons (15.1 in 2022, 13.7 in2023) while racking up 48 double-doubles. But he faces an uncertainnext stop and is projected at best as a second-round prospect.