Justin Patton had 72 dunks as a freshman at Creighton in 2016-17.
Photo by: Corey Solotorovsky
Justin Patton To Declare For NBA Draft, Sign With Agent
4/5/2017 7:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Freshman center projects as likely first round pick
OMAHA, Neb. – Creighton University's Justin Patton, the 2017 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, will apply for the NBA Draft and intends to sign with an agent. In doing so, Patton will give up his final three seasons of eligibility with the Bluejays.
"After much deliberation with my family and the Creighton coaching staff, I have decided the time is right to pursue my dream of playing professional basketball," said Patton. "I have loved every bit of my two years at Creighton. My teammates were unbelievable, the coaching staff helped me develop, and the fans have been so supportive of our program. Thank you to everyone…I will forever be a Bluejay!"
An Omaha native, Patton led Creighton with 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per game, and was second on the club with 12.9 points per game. He owned 72 dunks during his redshirt freshman season and owned 28 games of 10 or more points, including four games of 20 points or more. The 7-footer's field goal percentage (67.6 percent) led the BIG EAST, ranked second nationally in 2016-17, and is the best mark in NCAA history by a freshman in a major conference.
In addition to being BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Patton was named Second Team All-BIG EAST, Second Team All-District 5 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and a unanimous pick to the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team. He was one of 10 candidates for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, and one of 12 finalists for the Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award. He was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on three occasions.
Patton is expected to be a highly-coveted post player in the NBA Draft and has been projected as a top-20 pick by Sports Illustrated (12th), and DraftExpress (17th), ESPN (18th) and CBS Sports (19th) in recent mock drafts.
Coached by Greg McDermott, Creighton went 25-10 in 2016-17. The Bluejays tied for third place in the BIG EAST Conference, played in the BIG EAST Tournament final at Madison Square Garden, and reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in the last six seasons.
Creighton's last selection in the NBA Draft came in 2014, when Doug McDermott went 11th overall in the First Round to the Denver Nuggets. McDermott now plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and is currently joined in the NBA by fellow Creighton alums Kyle Korver (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Anthony Tolliver (Sacramento Kings).
"I haven't coached many young men with the talent and potential that Justin has," said McDermott. "It's amazing to think of the strides he has made in the last few years, and I'm excited to see where he'll be a few years from now. Justin's best basketball is ahead of him, and we look forward to him joining Anthony, Doug and Kyle in the NBA in the very near future."
The 2017 NBA Draft will take place on June 22nd in New York City.
"After much deliberation with my family and the Creighton coaching staff, I have decided the time is right to pursue my dream of playing professional basketball," said Patton. "I have loved every bit of my two years at Creighton. My teammates were unbelievable, the coaching staff helped me develop, and the fans have been so supportive of our program. Thank you to everyone…I will forever be a Bluejay!"
An Omaha native, Patton led Creighton with 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per game, and was second on the club with 12.9 points per game. He owned 72 dunks during his redshirt freshman season and owned 28 games of 10 or more points, including four games of 20 points or more. The 7-footer's field goal percentage (67.6 percent) led the BIG EAST, ranked second nationally in 2016-17, and is the best mark in NCAA history by a freshman in a major conference.
In addition to being BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Patton was named Second Team All-BIG EAST, Second Team All-District 5 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and a unanimous pick to the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team. He was one of 10 candidates for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, and one of 12 finalists for the Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award. He was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on three occasions.
Patton is expected to be a highly-coveted post player in the NBA Draft and has been projected as a top-20 pick by Sports Illustrated (12th), and DraftExpress (17th), ESPN (18th) and CBS Sports (19th) in recent mock drafts.
Coached by Greg McDermott, Creighton went 25-10 in 2016-17. The Bluejays tied for third place in the BIG EAST Conference, played in the BIG EAST Tournament final at Madison Square Garden, and reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in the last six seasons.
Creighton's last selection in the NBA Draft came in 2014, when Doug McDermott went 11th overall in the First Round to the Denver Nuggets. McDermott now plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and is currently joined in the NBA by fellow Creighton alums Kyle Korver (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Anthony Tolliver (Sacramento Kings).
"I haven't coached many young men with the talent and potential that Justin has," said McDermott. "It's amazing to think of the strides he has made in the last few years, and I'm excited to see where he'll be a few years from now. Justin's best basketball is ahead of him, and we look forward to him joining Anthony, Doug and Kyle in the NBA in the very near future."
The 2017 NBA Draft will take place on June 22nd in New York City.
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