NBA Draft surprises

The NBA Draft gave us a few surprises, but there may be a bigger surprise coming out of Morgantown. No reason to wait. Let’s dive in.

1. Draft moves: Jett rises, Whitmore falls

Everyone knew that Victor Wembanyama would be the No. 1 pick in Thursday night’s NBA Draft. No. 2 was the real question: Scoot Henderson, the G League star who has been compared to Derrick Rose, or Brandon Miller, the All-American from Alabama who gets buckets from the wing.

Charlotte went Miller, making him the only college player selected in the Top 5.

The rest of the Top 10 went mostly as expected, including a pair of former AAC stars (Jarace Walker and Taylor Hendricks) selected eighth and ninth. It was No. 11 that raised eyebrows, as the Orlando Magic selected Michigan freshman Jett Howard. He averaged over 14 ppg last season and is a 6-8 wing, but the move raised some questions.

It was a surprising pick. Equally as surprising was Cam Whitmore falling to No. 20 to Houston. The 6-7 Villanova freshman was viewed as a Top 5 talent and a lottery lock. Medical concerns played a role in his drop — but the fall may provide Whitmore some fuel as well.

The SEC was the big winner in the first round, landing seven picks among the Top 30. That included Kentucky freshman guard Cason Wallace at No. 10 to the Thunder, while former Missouri star forward Kobe Brown rounded out the first round at 30 to the Clippers. Arkansas got two of those first-round picks, with Anthony Black to Orlando at 6, and Nick Smith to Charlotte at 27.

Despite having two fewer selections, the second round also had some noteworthy picks. The biggest was Emoni Bates, a former 5-star prospect who played at Memphis and Eastern Michigan and got drafted 49th to Cleveland. He was followed by Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson to OKC, two years a after a collapse on the court at Florida. threatened his career.

One final takeaway involved the big men. Dallas took Duke freshman Dereck Lively II at 12, but other college centers weren’t as lucky. Like All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis, who fell all the way to 57.

Meanwhile, former National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe, All-American scorer Drew Timme and the leading scorer on national champion UConn, Adama Sanogo, went undrafted.

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2. Tre Mitchell exiting via country roads

As West Virginia continues its search for Bob Huggins’ replacement, it has been trying to keep its roster intact. That may not happen.

Reports surfaced Thursday night that forward Tre Mitchell intends to enter the transfer portal. In his first season at West Virginia, the 6-9 big averaged 11.7 ppg and 5.5 rpg, started 32 games and shot 36 percent from 3-point range.

He, as well as other Mountaineer players, have a 30-day window to evaluate their future.

Mitchell mostly played power forward last season but can also move down to the 5. Kentucky, Miami, Arkansas and others are among those reportedly showing interest.

As for West Virginia, the good news is that they do have other forwards on the roster. Patrick Suemnick and Josiah Harris can play minutes there, along with James Okonkwo. The frontcourt may lack star power, but it has depth.

3. NCAA hands Will Wade two-year show cause

The NCAA announced penalties Thursday for Will Wade, stemming from three Level I violations incurred during his time as LSU’s coach.

Wade, who now coaches at McNeese State, was already going to miss the first five games of the 2023-24 season as a result of self-imposed penalties by the school. It’s the show cause that’s the key part of it all.

Wade’s show cause penalty ends on June 21, 2025. Until then, the penalties, as set by the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP), will apply to McNeese State or any other school that hires Wade unless it demonstrates why the penalties shouldn’t apply.

The Cowboys, a lower-tier program in the Southland Conference, are willing to accept the suspension and recruiting limitations.

Wade was found to have made impermissible payments to the former fiancée of a player, failed to cooperate in the investigation and failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance.

LSU also received three-year probation for recruiting violations. LSU president William F. Tate and athletic director Scott Woodward issued a joint statement, saying they were “pleased that our current men's basketball student-athletes will not be punished for the acts of others.”

"We are grateful to the members of the panel for their time and fairness," they said. "LSU is now moving forward along with our passionate fans supporting our current coaches and student-athletes in both men's basketball and football."

Draft overload

Don’t want the bits and pieces? Just need everything from the 2023 NBA Draft? Cool. Here’s Rob Dauster, Randolph Childress, John Henson and Terrence Oglesby doing pick-by-pick analysis for every selection. Thank us later.

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Links while you critique the outfit of former Kansas star Gradey Dick.

• New Mexico State, Southern Illinois headline the 2023 Cancun Challenge.

• Iowa and ESPN Event Invitational highlight Iowa State’s non-con schedule.

• UConn and coach Dan Hurley agreed to a new 6-year contract.

• Loyola-Chicago hired former St. John’s assistant Chris Huey to staff.

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