A quick note regarding Xavier players and declaring for the NBA draft

Of all the things to not forget this offseason, one of the most important early ones is the change in the NCAA rules regarding the NBA draft. Per a proposal approved with little fanfare back in January, players will now have until 10 days after the NBA Draft combine to remove their name from draft consideration and maintain their eligibility. Prior to this rule change, players had to make a decision before the opening of the spring signing period, an arrangement that benefited coaches but not the kids.

The dates to watch this year are May 11-15, which is the NBA combine in Chicago, and May 25, which will be the early entry deadline. Players can go through the combine and work out with one team before deciding, but they have to withdraw their names from consideration no later than May 25. If a player hires an agent at any point in time, he becomes ineligible to return to NCAA competition.

This obviously affects a few Xavier players. The first is Jalen Reynolds, who will no doubt throw his name out there and see what happens. He has been out of high school for a while now, so it's only reasonable that he would see what his prospects might be at the next level. If he doesn't end up heading to the NBA, there's still a solid chance that his career at Xavier has concluded and he will seek his fortune overseas.

It also wouldn't surprise me to see Edmond Sumner and Trevon Bluiett throw their names out there. Trevon had good numbers this year and might reasonably find a role in the pace-and-space NBA, and Edmond has obvious physical gifts that should appeal to decision makers at the next level. I would be surprised to see either of them jump, but I don't think it would be alarming to see them doing their due diligence.

The bottom line is that you're going to see some Xavier names associated with the draft in the next month and a half or so, but it's not a big deal. As long as nobody with eligibility remaining hires an agent, there's no reason to think anyone is going early until that deadline passes. Should news break in this regard, rest assured that we'll keep you posted.