2021 NBA Draft: Julian Champagnie, DeVante' Jones Heading Back to NCAA

Last week, the Philadelphia 76ers' front office spent time in Chicago interviewing and watching a handful of potential draft prospects showcase their talents against one another. 

While Philly checked out a large number of talents to choose from when their couple of picks roll around later this month, they found out recently that two potential draft prospects will no longer be available. 

With the deadline approaching for draft prospects to withdraw from the process and head back to college for another year, some players are making their decisions to stay or leave after testing the waters.

St. John's standout Julian Champagnie is among two players who recently made the decision to head back to school. Champagnie, who started at St. John's for the last two seasons, averaged nearly 20 points per game this past year. 

The Brooklyn-born guard garnered interest from several teams, including the Sixers, during the pre-draft process. Although he had a workout scheduled in Philly this week, according to the New York Post's Zach Braziller, the Sophomore made the decision to stay in school for another year after finding out he'd likely get selected later on in the draft.

In addition to Champagnie, former Coastal Carolina guard DeVante' Jones will also re-appear in the NCAA next season. However, he'll be competing for a different team. After spending three seasons at CCU, Jones has transferred to Michigan ahead of the 2021-2022 NCAA season.

According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, Jones wants to showcase his skillset on a higher stage at Michigan after playing in the Sun Belt Conference for the last few seasons. As Jones was under the impression that the level of competition he faced in the NCAA would hurt his draft stock, he believes another season in a stronger conference could help him prove to NBA organizations he's much more valuable than they believed throughout this year's process. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.