Ranking Rueben Chinyelu's NBA draft decision after combine
Here's where Rueben Chinyelu's NBA draft decision ranks among his peers as he ponders a return to Florida basketball next season.
Following the conclusion of the NBA draft combine in Chicago last week, USA TODAY Sports' Bryan Kalbrosky ranked the top 22 stay-or-go decisions that must be made before the deadline to withdraw without losing eligibility arrives. In the post-combine rankings, Florida 's starting center Rueben Chinyelu finds himself in the middle of the pack, with his decision ranked at No. 14.
A return to Gainesville would make the Gators' frontcourt arguably the best in the country and would have significant implications on the college hoops scene next season. As for the question of whether he returns for his senior year or heads off to the pros, it seems quite probable at this point that the answer is the former, given his current projections and what he has said about what he is considering in making his choice. “My decision, it just depends on where I’m going to be picked in the draft.
I had this conversation when I was being interviewed by some of the teams," Chinyelu told Andy Katz last week. Kalbrosky lists Chinyelu's consensus draft prospect rank at No. 39 while citing Sports Illustrated's intel , which has him among a group considered "more likely" to return.
Factor that in with ESPN's latest mock draft , which projects the Nigerian to be selected in the second round with the 48th pick by the Dallas Mavericks, and it certainly looks like the reigning Defensive Player of the Year will be heading back to the Orange and Blue. Chinyelu has until 11:59 p. m.