Karim Mane to test NBA draft waters
Canada's top uncommitted basketball recruit Karim Mane will reportedly enter his name into NBA draft consideration, ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported Thursday and Vanier College's Feras Saaida confirmed to Sports Illustrated.
"I sent in my paperwork, but I am keeping my options open as far as college," Mane told ESPN. "I am not planning on hiring an agent right now. I want to hear directly from teams. If I can get a guarantee I'll be drafted, I will probably need to think about staying in."
Mane is a 6-foot-5 guard out of Vanier College in Montreal and is considered a five-star prospect by 247Sports and Rivals.com. In a recent interview with 247Sports, Mane said he was looking at five universities, including Michigan State, Marquette, and Memphis.
His collegiate decision had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented him from making college visits. Now, with his recruiting so uncertain, he told ESPN he plans to put out some feelers to see if he can generate any draft interest.
"I think he's keeping his options open for now," said Wes Brown, a Canadian basketball scout for the Monday Morning Scouting Service. "I think he's going to wait to get some feedback from teams and based on that he'll wait to decide to stay in or go to college."
Making the jump from CEJEP basketball to the NBA would a drastic leap and one NBA teams might be concerned about. If Brown was advising Mane, he said he would tell the 19-year-old to go to college before entering the draft.
"I think you have to look at the long game," Brown said. "If he goes to the NBA this year or tries to, I don't think he will be drafted and as a result, he might be stuck in the G-League playing with a bunch of guys taking shots trying to make it to the NBA as well, whereas a college system, wherever he goes, will be more suited and give him more shots than elsewhere. ... I think college is the better route."
If Mane decides to go the college route, there is still no timetable for his decision. He has reportedly done virtual visits with Marquette, DePaul and Michigan State.
