Purdue's Mason Gillis Announces Plans to Test NBA Draft, Enter Transfer Portal
Purdue senior Mason Gillis has made his future plans official. The Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year will test the NBA Draft waters while retaining his college eligibility and will also enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal.
Gillis, who spent five seasons in West Lafayette, released a statement regarding his decision. It was reported last week that the forward would likely enter his name into the portal.
"There are so many words to say thank you and yet none of them seem adequate to express my gratitude to all of the people and experienced I have encountered during my time as a Boilermaker," Gillis wrote.
"Our ultimate goal was to make an impact on the program and the university. I feel that with the special teams I was on, we achieved the ultimate goal. I would not be the person I am today without the privilege to attend and represent Purdue University.
"I will always be a Boilermaker, and nothing will ever match my time at Purdue. Moving forward I will leave my eligibility open for college recruiting to continue my growth and development while pursuing my dreams of playing professional basketball. Boiler Up."
Gillis played a prominent role in Purdue's run to the national championship game this season. Despite having a starting role last season, the 6-foot-6 forward came off the bench this year.
For the year, Gillis averaged 6.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game for the Boilermakers. He appeared in all 39 games at Purdue and logged 21.2 minutes per contest. The senior also shot the 3-point shot extremely well, knocking down the long ball at a 46.8% clip.
Gillis redshirted in his first season (2019-20) and has one year of eligibility remaining because of the NCAA's Covid-19 waiver.
During his career with the Boilermakers, Gillis started in 63 games and appeared in 132 total contests. He averaged 6.3 points, 4.2 assists and 1.4 assists per game for his career.
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