Emmanuel Malou has officially hired an agent and will forego his college eligibility in the hopes he can be selected in the 2016 NBA Draft.
It’s not uncommon for college basketball stars to nominate for the draft in order to to gauge NBA interest. Basketball student-athletes can enter the NBA draft once during their college career without jeopardizing their eligibility as long as they do not sign with a sports agent and are not drafted by any NBA team.
This move confirms that Malou is not simply “testing the water” but has good reason to believe he will be taken in this years draft.
The 22-year-old was born Kenya, before moving to Melbourne when he was two. Malou grew up in Braybrook and played basketball in the western suburbs before swinging back and forth from Australia to the US in hopes of improving his basketball game.
Malou announced via Twitter in April his intentions to enter the draft with this tweet in April.
Sorry for the confusion. pic.twitter.com/jKzPxxERCF
— Emmanuel Malou (@EmmanuelMalou) April 26, 2016
At this stage most NBA mock drafts have listed Malou as a potential second rounder, but recently the 2.06m wing has been able to gain increased interest from NBA scouts through recent workouts and exposure at NBA draft events aimed at evaluating those entering the draft.
Malou had agreed to play college basketball for Iowa State, his commitment to play was marked as one of the biggest signings in recent Iowa State history. However his decision to sign an agent now means he will head to the NBA without ever playing for the Cyclones.
The athletic forward had averaged 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks as a freshman for YUBA College in California before turning down offers from Arizona, Kansas and Oregon in favor of the Cyclones.
Up until recently he had seemed very excited about playing for the Cyclones. Malou had transferred to a local community college in Des Moines so he could get his academics in order and hopefully suit up for the Cyclones.
As of now his transcripts have not yet been endorsed by the NCAA, so it’s quite possible Malou’s may have been unsuccessful in improving his grades enough to play for Iowa State University, perhaps influencing his decision.
“I know that it is going to require a huge amount of work, but I am motivated and excited for the challenges that lie ahead. I would like to thank all the staff at Iowa State for all that they have done for me,” Malou said to the media on Wednesday.
Funnily enough this isn’t the first time Malou has tested his NBA chances, having already nominated for the 2013 NBA Draft. Malou decided to withdraw his name from the draft that year in favor of playing for YUBA College in California.
“I actually declared for the NBA Draft after a workout with the Bulls (in 2013), but pulled my name back out,” Malou shared about that decision.
“I was just trying to get my name out there.”