LC
Years ago

Ater Majok declares for the 2009 NBA Draft!

And I thought the big news was Stephen curry declaring for the NBA draft today...

Heaven forbid, Australia's own Sudanese refugee Freshman at UConn who has not even played a game of college basketball yet has declared for this year's NBA draft!

ESPN Link: http://linky.com.au/mahcn

And whilst he has not hired an agent, I reckon this is a big sign that Majok intends to declare for the draft afetr playing just 1 season of college ball, as he "tests the waters" and gains experience through the process.

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LC  
Years ago

Here is soem more info on Majok intentions...

As I suspected he plans on just "testing the waters" and has every intention of returning to play for UConn next season. I then believe he will try and get drafted in 2010.

Huskies Link: http://linky.com.au/b7woi

""In view of the upcoming rule changes for underclassmen, this is an opportunity for Ater to see where he currently fits into what I believe will be a future in professional basketball," said UConn head coach Jim Calhoun. "I respect that Ater understands that this decision is about more than just him and that he has, and will continue to, involve his immediate family in this process as it goes forward."

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3  
Years ago

What are these "upcoming rule changes for underclassmen" that Calhoun speaks of? Are they raising the age limit again?

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LC  
Years ago

Chad Ford and Andy Katz discuss the NBA draft declarations...and declare Ater Majok foolish for nominating.

"How about playing a game first before you declare for the NBA draft? Majok shouldn't be testing the draft process. He needs to prove he can play to be worthy of the investment. "

And for the bulk of it I agree with their comments, however the process in place means he can "test the waters" without an agent and then return to college. The length of time before a player can withdraw their name from the draft changes next year from being well over a month to just 10 days. Therefore players will not get the same chance to workout with a large number of teams. If Majok is really going to be that good next season, then testing the waters now and putting his name out there under the current conditions is potentially a really good move. However it could also backfire really badly too...

However UConn coach, Calhoun, would not have supported him doing this unless he thought it wouild be the best way for him moving forward...

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LC  
Years ago

DraftExpress added a nice little summary today on what they think of Ater Majok from what they have seen.

Who Is Ater Majok?

Lost in a crowded day of early-entry declarations (Stephen Curry, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington) last week was a curious statement from UConn freshman Ater Majok, announcing his intentions to enter his name in the 2009 NBA draft.

A very highly touted high school recruit (#13 Rivals, #28 Scout), Majok didn't play a single game for UConn this past season, as question marks about his transcript did not allow him to even practice until the end of the first semester. His transcript is obviously a bit more complicated than most, as he hails from the Sudan, spent time in an Egyptian refugee camp, and also lived in Australia. He won't be eligible to actually play until the second semester of this upcoming season.

With that in mind, Majok decided to enter his name in the draft regardless, reportedly under pressure from his family, who were disappointed in how little exposure he received this past season. He will conduct private workouts with NBA and likely elects to return to Connecticut when it's all said and done, but he no longer will have the option of testing the waters next year or later, since he already decided to burn his lone draft card.

We had a chance to watch Majok work out at the Adidas Nations camp, and also were able to speak to others who have evaluated him closely and more recently, specifically an NBA scout that spent time recently watching UConn practice.

From what we've seen and can gather, Majok will always be considered an interesting prospect thanks to his excellent combination of size (6-10), terrific length, and the competitiveness he brings to the floor. While he fancies himself somewhat of a small forward prospect, his skill-level is extremely limited at the moment by how raw of a player he is. He lacks a great deal of strength, balance and coordination, and possesses very little in the ways of experience or feel for the game. His perimeter jumper is incredibly streaky and he struggles to finish around the basket in traffic. Defensively, he appears to be a long ways away from contributing, beyond his ability to hit the glass, as he just doesn't have a great understanding of how to operate on this end of the floor. Since he only began practicing with UConn in January, he's obviously still very much beyond the curve. Athletically, he is solid, but not out of this world, looking somewhat stiff in his movements at times.

Majok is the type of player who could very well develop into an interesting prospect in the next few years, but he's way too far off from contributing to even be thinking about the NBA at this point, as weak as this draft may seem. Any team that even considers drafting him would only want to do so with the intent of stashing him overseas for the next few years.

Link: http://linky.com.au/gk2v4

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3  
Years ago

I don't care if he's just 'testing the waters' or whatever, I don't think he should be worrying about the NBA at all at this stage. If you've got any talent at all, I doubt you'll have trouble 'getting your name out there' and getting exposure at UConn. At least show something at the level you're at first, before you try and get to the next one.

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