Elite basketball star skips college, declares for NBA draft
One of the top basketball prospects in America has opted to skip college and declare for the 2018 NBA draft.
Anfernee Simons, a 6-foot-4 guard out of Altamonte Springs, Florida, spent the last year playing at the IMG Academy in Bradenton.
Since he graduated high school last year and turns 19 in June, he is eligible for the draft.
“After discussing the matter with my parents, I have decided to forgo the opportunity to play in the NCAA and to instead enter the NBA draft,” Simons told ESPN.
“I am very thankful for the support I received at IMG Academy and from the NCAA coaches who recruited me. I am ready and excited to pursue my dream of playing in the NBA,” he added.
Simons, ranked as a top-10 high school recruit by ESPN, was recently picked to show off his talents at the Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic, both of which are prestigious events for young basketball prospects.
At one time, Simons committed to attending Louisville, but thought better of that decision in the wake of the pay-to-play scandal that led to the firing of coach Rick Pitino.
He was then recruited by several Division I schools, including Tennessee, NC State, Florida and South Carolina. But in January, he told USA Today he was seriously considering declaring for the draft.
“I’m probably going to wait until the last signing period to decide if I’m going to keep my name in or go to college,” he said at the time. “Someone told me about it, after that I told my parents maybe this is a good idea. Really I’m just trying to get better every day.”
Simons is by no means a finished product, but he is believed to be one of the most athletic guards in the 2018 draft class, as well as a great shooter.
ESPN’s latest mock draft has him going 19th.
A recent CBS Sports mock draft, meanwhile, predicted that he will be the 15th player picked in June.
Regardless, several executives seem to think that no matter what, he’ll definitely be taken in the first round.
“He’s a first-round talent physically,” one such executive told 247Sports.
Simons said he is going to sign with agent Bobby Petriella of Rosenhaus Sports Representation, a new firm headed up by well-known NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus.
Once a player signs with an agent, he is no longer eligible to play for an NCAA team, so it would appear that Simons’ decision is final.
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