Jaaron Simmons declared for the NBA Draft on Monday, he announced through the Ohio Athletics website. He won't sign an agent, however, maintaining his eligibility for the 2017-18 season, his senior campaign. The last day to withdraw from the NBA Draft is May 24.
Simmons averaged 15.9 points and 6.5 assists per game, but 17.2 points in conference play. Since Antonio Campbell went down with a season-ending injury on Jan. 14 against Eastern Michigan, Simmons took over.
In the final 16 games without Campbell, Simmons had to play team leader. He only scored single-digit points once, against Western Michigan, but that was after Simmons dropped 38 points against No. 1-seeded Akron. Without Campbell down the stretch run, Simmons averaged 20.3 points per game.
Simmons was elected to the First Team All-Mid-American Conference for his standout redshirt junior year.
He is able to compete in the NBA Draft Combine, which will take place May 9-14. He can withdraw from the draft even after that combine.
Last summer, Campbell declared for the NBA Draft on April 13, but withdrew on May 26 to return for his senior season.
"Jaaron's decision is a smart one in today's world of basketball," coach Saul Phillips said in the release. "Having a clear idea of where you stand in terms of the draft is a good idea ... he got feedback that allowed him to improve dramatically over the summer, and Jaaron's going to go through the same process. We are extremely supportive of Jaaron's decision to declare for the draft."
