Duke freshman Jahlil Okafor has announced his decision to forgo his remaining three years of eligibility and will enter the 2015 NBA draft, the team announced Thursday.
Okafor entered the year as the top recruit in his class and quickly made an impact on the block for the Blue Devils, as the Chicago native averaged 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in his one year in Durham to lead Duke to the program's fifth national championship.
“What a great decision!” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said in the team's press release. “This is a tremendous opportunity for Jahlil and he has earned it. Obviously, he has done an incredible job here at Duke and he will always be a part of our Duke basketball family. We could not be happier for him and his family.”
Okafor was named the National Freshman of the Year in addition to numerous other honors, including ACC Player of the Year and ACC Freshman of the Year. The 6-foot-11 center was one of four Blue Devil freshmen on this year's championship squad, three of which—Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones—were starters for the entirety of the season.
Although Okafor said as late as Wednesday that his decision had still not been made, Thursday's announcement came as no surprise, as Krzyzewski alluded to the fact that the program would only have Okafor for one year throughout the season.
With his announcement, Okafor instantly vaults to the top of the draft board, as he has only been rivaled by Kentucky's Karl Anthony-Towns as the projected No. 1 pick in this year's draft.
Okafor issued the following statement through the team's press release:
“As early as I can remember, I've fantasized and dreamed of the day that I could play professional basketball. I recall at the age of six, promising my mom and dad that when I made it to the NBA I would buy them both different colored trucks. They would laugh with me in support and encouraged me to dream big and work hard. With that being said and now at the age of 19, my dream is still alive! My freshman year has been an amazing experience to say the least. It exceeded my expectations! I love Cameron and Duke University! I can't thank my coaches, teammates and family enough for making this year so special and helping me grow on and off the court. With Coach K's and my family's blessing I will be fulfilling my life-long dream and proudly entering my name into the NBA draft.”
The Blue Devils will now await the decisions of Jones and Winslow, who echoed Okafor's sentiments Wednesday that their minds had not yet been made up but that the decision of their classmates would affect their final choices. Both Jones and Winslow are projected first-round picks.
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