Marvin Bagley III won’t say it, but his college basketball career likely is over.
The Duke Blue Devils forward plans to leave college after one season and declare for the 2018 NBA Draft, ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reported Sunday night, citing multiple sources. Rumors of Bagley’s exit came minutes after Duke lost to Kansas in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Bagley, 19, was noncommittal when reporters asked him about his future following Duke’s elimination.
“I’m not even thinking about it right now,” Bagley said, per ESPN. “This loss is tough, especially playing in a big tournament like this. This is all that’s on my mind right now. Whatever happens after this, we’ll see. We’ll sit down [to] talk about it and take it day by day.”
Bagley arrived at Duke as one of its most highly touted recruits in recent years. He mostly lived up to the hype, too, averaging 21.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game this season.
Experts predict he’ll be a high lottery pick and may even be the first player selected in NBA Draft, should he decide to enter.
