Aiming to be NBA's first player from Angola, Maryland's Bruno Fernando declares for draft

Maryland Terrapins forward Bruno Fernando is eschewing his final two years of eligibility by declaring for the NBA draft on Monday.

If and when he’s selected, he’ll be making history as the first player in the NBA from Angola. Although he’s projected to go No. 25 in Yahoo Sports’ latest mock draft, Fernando has an outside chance of landing in the lottery.

Fernando was dominant as a sophomore at Maryland with 13.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. The big man was one of seven Power Five players to average a double-double with rebounds, and he was named first-team All-Big Ten and selected to the Big Ten All-Defensive team.

He also showed impressive shooting touch for his 6-foot-10 frame, going 60.6 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from the line. Although Fernando only attempted 10 threes on the season, his high free throw percentage portends well.

Fernando was first noticed at the 2014 FIBA U-17 World Championship and eventually moved stateside to Montverde Academy. He also led Angola to the 2016 FIBA Africa U-18 Championship and earned Best Player honors.

It’s worth noting that Fernando also declared for the 2018 draft but withdrew in late May. He will have until 5 p.m. ET on June 10 to withdraw from the draft this year.

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