New NCAA rules allow college players to withdraw names 10 days after combine
Like many Lobo players before him, shooting guard Elijah Brown will see if he has what it takes to jump to the NBA level. However, the junior-to-be could still maintain his eligibility with the Lobos if that route doesn’t pan out at this time.
New Mexico head coach Craig Neal, at his end-of-season press conference Tuesday, announced Brown, who had a breakout first season with the Lobos, will put his name into the NBA draft scheduled for June 23.
Several UNM players found success leaving school early to be drafted, most recently Tony Snell and Alex Kirk. Before them, players like Darington Hobson and J.R. Middens, also departed from UNM with collegiate eligibility remaining.
In the past, when players opted to leave school early, they could no longer be a part of their college team. The NCAA loosened those restrictions in January, allowing players to “assess their likelihood of success in the NBA without jeopardizing their college eligibility.”
This opens the door for Brown and others to test the NBA waters.
“He’s just going to do some workouts, and his mindset is going to see where he is,” Neal said. “Hopefully he comes back, but he’s doing team workouts.”
The new rule works by granting players the ability to withdraw their name up to 10 days following the NBA draft combine, which takes place May 11-15. Players may also put their name into the draft multiple times without risking eligibility, and can participate in one tryout per NBA team per year.
So long as Brown meets those requirements and does not hire a sports agent, he may return to the Lobos.
Brown was not on hand for Tuesday’s press conference, but tweeted “Straight work. #Chasing” earlier in the day.
A transfer from Butler University, where he averaged just under seven points a game, Brown quickly emerged as a top offensive threat in the Mountain West. Neal called Brown one of the three best players in the league, and he received First Team All-MW honors.
His 21.7-points per game average this past season ranked him second among scorers in the league. He was one of three players to net at least 20 points a game, the others being Wyoming’s Josh Adams and Fresno State’s Marvelle Harris.
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He also has an NBA pedigree, with his father Mike Brown being a veteran head coach in the Association.
Neal did not answer questions on whether Elijah Brown has an NBA-caliber skill set right now, but he said his sharpshooter knows the areas in which to improve. He plans to help Brown prepare for workouts much the same way he helped Snell prior to the draft, which worked out for him. The Bulls selected Snell with the 20th overall pick in 2013.
“We’ll get him trained like we did with Tony, as much of the pre-draft stuff and anything he’s going to see,” Neal said. “I think that’s why Tony knocked it out of the park; because we trained Tony to be ready for anything. I think Tony was really prepared. We’ll do the same thing with Elijah.”
Brown will participate in all offseason activities and workouts with the team, Neal said. Those include weightlifting Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with individual work Tuesdays and Thursdays. Brown will also continue to take classes in the meantime, Neal added.
“On a selfish side I hope he’s back and leads us back to a championship and we have a really good year,” Neal said. “But we’ll support him and do whatever we have to do.”
On Wednesday, J.R. Oppenheim ended his tenure as the assistant sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covered men’s basketball and women’s soccer. He may be contacted directly on Twitter @JROppenheim. Contact the Daily Lobo sports desk at sports@dailylobo.com.
