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The Associated Press is reporting that Marcus Keene, point guard for CMU, will declare for the upcoming NBA Draft.
The report cited an anonymous source that was “familiar with the decision.” The school has made no official announcement about the move and Keene has not posted about such a move on his Twitter page as of publication.
Keene was a national revealation this season, averaging exactly 30 points per game this season, the first time that feat had been accomplished since 1997 in Division I basketball. Keene, a transfer from Youngstown State, sat out 2015-2016 as a redshirt due to NCAA transfer rules.
Keene scored more than 40 points in a game seven times in 2016-2017, and set the university and conference all-time season scoring record with 958 points scored.
Keene’s ascendance to national stardom was a surprise, to say the least. An undersized zero-star recruit out of San Antonio, Texas, Keene went to Youngstown State and played a bench role for two years before transferring to Mt. Pleasant.
Keene, who wasn’t on the preseason watch list, was added to the Top 50 list and eventually made it all to the way to the Top 20 list for the John R. Wooden Award before missing the final cut.
The Chippewas had a promising season before an eight-game losing skid all but ended the hopes of a postseason run. CMU lost to eventual NCAA tourney representative Kent State in overtime in the first round of the MAC Tournament.
The NBA rolled out a new rule regarding players that declare for the draft last year, allowing student-athletes to explore the draft without hiring an agent and getting the option to withdraw. It is yet unknown if Keene will hire an agent or not.
If he does declare for the draft and hire an agent, he’ll leave a year of eligibility on the table.