Isaiah Todd Decommits from Michigan, Will Turn Pro
Just one day before the start of the NCAA’s spring signing period, Isaiah Todd informed Sports Illustrated that he won’t be participating.
Instead, Todd officially decommitted from the Wolverines on Tuesday to pursue a pro career.
He plans to hire an agent.
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“This was a tough decision for him, but he just feels like this is what’s best for him and his development,” Todd's mother Marlene Venable told SI. “We love Michigan and Juwan (Howard), but, at the end of the day, he has to make the best decision for him.”
The news doesn’t come as a total shock, Todd has quietly remained “open” to the idea of turning pro for quite some time.
Pro speculation ran rampant back in November when the Word of God Christian Academy (Raleigh, N.C.) forward held off on signing with Michigan during the Early Signing Period after committing to the Wolverines a month prior.
“My dream has always been to play in the NBA,” Todd told SI. “I just feel like this route will help my game grow even more. I want to be as prepared as possible when the times comes. This was a no-brainer for me."
Players must be 19 years old and a year removed from high school to declare for the NBA Draft, per the current collective bargaining agreement.
Todd’s reasons to make the pro jump were similar to the reasons R.J. Hampton gave last year when he opted to go pro and play for the New Zealand Breakers instead of committing to Kansas.
Still, while it may seem abnormal, Todd’s prep-to-pro decision is far from a new trend.
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In 2008, Brandon Jennings became the first high school player to take the prep-to-pro route when he opted out of his letter-of-intent to Arizona to play in Italy. In 2014, Emmanuel Mudiay opted to play in China over playing at SMU; in 2016, Terrance Ferguson chose playing in Australia over Arizona, and in 2017, LaVar Ball pulled LaMelo out of Chino Hills (California) High School and sent him to play in Lithuania.
Also, earlier this month, fellow North Carolinian Josh Hall of Moravian Prep (Hudson, N.C.) declared for the NBA draft, but plans to maintain his eligibility and could potentially end up at NC State where he is signed to play next season.
Todd plans to announce where he intends to play in the near future.
“Other than this, I’m not gonna do interviews about this right now,” Todd said. “I know some people won’t understand it, but this is the decision I’ve made. I love Coach Howard and I love Michigan, but I feel like this was the best decision for me.”