Good Morning, Illini Nation: Big Ten and the NBA draft early entrant list
May 1—The early entrant list for the 2024 NBA Draft was released Tuesday morning. It's a group of 195 players that includes both college players with remaining eligibility and international prospects. Coleman Hawkins belongs to the former given the Illinois forward has his bonus season of eligibility should he decide he wants to use it after the Tuesday afternoon report from CBS Sports' Matt Norlander that Hawkins would enter the transfer portal and also keep a return to the Illini an option.
The NCAA's deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the draft and return to college basketball is May 29. If Hawkins doesn't make use of it, plenty will considering the 195 early entrants — plus seniors out of eligibility — are competing for just 58 draft spots since the 76ers and Suns both had to forfeit second-round picks because of tampering. (Not much of a punishment, but it's more than the nothing that exists in college basketball for similar actions).
Former Illinois forward Zacharie Perrin is among the 39 international players that have declared for the 2024 NBA Draft as early entrants. Perrin was with the Illini for just more than a month during the 2022-23 season before opting to return to France. The 6-foot-9 forward played for Antibes in France's second-tier professional league this past season and average 9.8 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 33 percent from three-point range.
Other early entrants with Big Ten ties are as follows:
* Chibuzo Agbo (Boise State -> USC)
* Brooks Barnhizer (Northwestern)
* Adem Bona (UCLA)
* Nimari Burnett (Michigan)
* Cam Christie (Minnesota)
* Isaiah Collier (USC)
* Zach Edey (Purdue)
* Frankie Fidler (Omaha -> Michigan State)
* A.J. Hoggard (Michigan State -> TBA)
* Bronny James (USC -> TBA)
* Meechie Johnson (South Carolina -> Ohio State)
* Scotty Middleton (Ohio State -> Seton Hall)
* Payton Sandfort (Iowa)
* AJ Storr (Wisconsin -> Kansas)
* Saint Thomas (Northern Colorado -> USC)
* Kel'el Ware (Indiana)
* Terrance Williams II (Michigan -> USC)
