Just over two weeks after announcing his decision to return to Arkansas for his junior season, sharpshooting guard Isaiah Joe has announced that he will forego the remainder of his college eligibility and enter the 2020 NBA Draft after all. Joe released a statement via twitter this morning addressing his situation.
“Due to the COVID-19 virus and the unprecedented cancellation of fall sports by several major college conferences in the past week, I believe it is in my best interest to forego the remainder of my college eligibility and re-enter the NBA draft in time for the league’s Aug. 17 deadline for underclassmen to declare.
“My announcement on Aug. 1 to return to school for another season as a Razorback was made with whole-hearted excitement and sincerity, but a lot has happened in a short period of time since then to increase the uncertainty that college sports will be played this season.”
With most of recent news effecting college football, the upcoming college basketball season has not come away unscathed. The Pac-12 canceled all athletic competitions through the end of the calendar year, which effectively eliminates any non-conference competition. Additionally, increased speculation has risen recently that college basketball could be looking at a shortened season that includes various “bubble” type formats.
There is no doubt that Arkansas holds a special place in Joe’s heart. However, with the level of uncertainty surrounding college athletics in the coming months, Joe felt it best to move forward now with his professional dream.
Head coach Eric Musselman has been a strong voice when it comes to supporting the dreams and aspirations of his players. Although he is likely disappointed he will be without one of the top shooters in the country for the upcoming season, he continued with his support of Joe in a statement released earlier.
“We will always support our players when they decide to chase their NBA dream,” Musselman said. “We will continue to help Isaiah in any way we can and wish him nothing but the best. Zai has cemented his legacy at Arkansas and will forever be a Razorback.”
Joe’s legacy includes holding the single season program record with 113 3-pointers made in his freshman season. He followed that up in an injury plagued sophomore campaign by leading the SEC with 94 made 3-pointers on the year. After averaging 16.9 points a season ago, Joe was the returning leading scorer in the Southeastern Conference and was likely to be in the early conversation for Preseason SEC Player of the Year.
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