Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis to Declare for NBA Draft, Keep College Option Open
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, the team's leading scorer the past three seasons, announced on Sunday that he is entering his name in the 2022 NBA Draft, but his keeping his college options open if he decides not to turn pro.
Jackson-Davis, a 6-foot-9 junior from Greenwood, Ind., who was Mr. Basketball in 2019, averaged 18.3 points and 8.1 rebounds this season in leading the Hoosiers to a 21-14 record and their first NCAA Tournament berth in six years. He is not signing with an agent, which keeps his NCAA eligibility intact.
“Hoosier Nation, These last three years at IU have been a blessing and I have cherished every moment wearing the candy strips uniform with pride,” Jackson-Davis wrote on his social media account.
“I would not be where I am today without so many people. I would like to thank my family and my coaches who have supported me through the years. To my teammates, I’m thankful to have bonds that go beyond the court, and big thanks to fans that packed Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall every week.
“I am ready to continue this journey, and after long consideration and prayer, I have decided to declare for the 2022 NBA Draft while also maintaining my eligibility.”
All underclassmen must declare for the 2022 NBA Draft by April 24, and the deadline to withdraw from the draft while maintaining college eligibility is June 1. The 2022 NBA draft is set for June 23 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
In order to work out for NBA teams or attend any combines, a player must declare for the draft. He can gather feedback from NBA teams, and choose to either stay in the draft and turn pro, or withdraw and return to college. He technically has two years of eligibility remaining, because the 2020-21 COVID season does not count against a player's eligibility.
Jackson-Davis has scored 1,588 points during his three years in Bloomington, good for 15th place on Indiana's all-time scoring list. He played his first two years for Archie Miller in Bloomington, and decided to come back for the 2021-22 season after just a few minutes of talking with new coach Mike Woodson.
During his junior year, he was a consensus second-team All-Big Ten selection, and made the Big Ten's All-Defensive team. He also made the All-Big Ten Tournament team after three straight impressive performances against Michigan, Illinois and Iowa.
Jackson-Davis and former Hoosier great Alan Henderson are the only two players in IU basketball history with 1,500 points, 750 rebounds and 150 blocks. He scored 43 points in a game against Marshall in November and scored 27 points or more on six different occasions this year.
Jackson-Davis is ninth all-time in rebounds (797) and seventh in field goal percentage (55.8%)
Jackson-Davis isn't listed as a first-round pick in any of the major NBA mock drafts, and appears as a late second-round selection in a few others. Only first-round picks get guaranteed contracts.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- 1,000-POINT SCORERS: Here is the complete 54-man list of 1,000-point scorers in Indiana basketball history. Trayce Jackson-Davis, who has 1,588 career points, is No. 15 on the list. CLICK HERE
- THAD MATTA TO BUTLER: This past season, former Ohio State coach Thad Matta caught the coaching bug again after serving as associate athletic director for Indiana men's basketball. When the call from Butler came about its coaching opening, he felt it was a perfect fit and is returning to his alma mater as head coach. CLICK HERE
- ONE SHINING MOMENT: The annual ''One Shining Moment'' video shown at the end of the NCAA Tournament is a classic, and this year it also features that great rescue move by Indiana cheerleaders Cassidy Cerny and Nathan Paris when a ball got stuck above the backboard during the Indiana-Saint Mary's game. Here is the full ''One Shining Moment'' video. CLICK HERE
