MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia coach Bob Huggins says there’s a chance forward Devin Williams returns to school for his senior season based on feedback from NBA draft advisors.
That seemed less certain than a Tuesday morning release on the school’s website that heralded “Williams to Enter NBA Draft.” During an appearance Tuesday night on MetroNews “Sportsline,” Huggins said the Mountaineers’ top rebounder was in the pre-draft exploratory phase that features a May 25 deadline.
“As of (Tuesday) morning, he told me he was not going to hire an agent,” Huggins said. “Do I think it’s a done deal? No.”
This year, early entrants who do not sign with an agent can remove their names from the NBA draft list 10 days after the conclusion of the draft combine, which is scheduled for May 10-15. That’s far later than previous years.
“Why wouldn’t you let the process take its course, find out where you are, and then make an intelligent decision? Tell me what an agent’s going to do for anybody,” Huggins said. “You need an agent after you figure if you’re going to go.”
While Huggins is not a fan of the later withdrawal date—which creates potential summertime roster issues for college programs—he said Williams’ decision could be plotted weeks earlier.
“If he gets invited to the combine, he’s got a great chance (to be drafted). If he doesn’t get invited to the combine, there’s really not much of a chance. So there’s indicators before he has to say ‘I’m leaving or I’m coming back.’
“If he’s got to be a first-round draft pick, then he should go. If he’s going to be a second-round pick or not be drafted at all, I’m not sure that’s a prudent thing to do.”
The senior-year successes of Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, Baylor’s Taurean Prince and Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky have accentuated the value of some players staying in college. Huggins said he also explained to Williams that the net income of D-League players falls short of a full-cost-of-attendance scholarship.
Watch the complete “Sportsline” segment with Huggins above, including his gut assessment on which path Williams will choose: “I have absolutely no idea.”