Efe Abogidi declares for NBA Draft, will retain eligibility

The Washington State Cougars roster churn continues just one day after Noah Williams took his talents west of the Cascades. Sophomore forward Efe Abogidi announced on Twitter he’ll be entering the NBA Draft this summer.

Abogidi will retain his NCAA eligibility—he can do that by not hiring an agent or hiring an NCAA-approved agent—so this is a testing of the waters for the big man who already spent time at the NBA Academy and with NBA Africa while growing up in Nigeria. He’ll have until the end of the day on June 1st to decide if he wants to remain draft-eligible or return to school. Just a couple years ago, CJ Elleby took the same route, ultimately deciding to return to Pullman for his sophomore year.

This isn’t a terribly big surprise given the incredible leaps (literally and figuratively) we’ve seen Abogidi make this year. His athleticism is unlike perhaps anything we’ve ever seen at WSU and no matter when he ultimately ends up drafted, several teams are sure to be very interested in the potential. If he’s getting some second-round consideration, it’s likely worth staying in the draft. Otherwise, Abogidi did the smart thing by not hiring an agent so he see where he stands and return to school if need be and potentially improve his draft stock with a hopefully fully healthy junior season.

If he doesn’t return to Pullman, I’ll be sad to never see him in a Cougars uniform again but always happy to remember we’ll have this forever: