Keita Bates-Diop is expected to announce that he will be foregoing his final season of eligibility at Ohio State and declaring for the NBA draft at a press conference on Monday afternoon.
Bates-Diop is a former five-star recruit that finally, after four seasons in Columbus, fully lived up to his potential as a redshirt junior. He was named the Big Ten Player of the Year after averaging 19.8 points and 8.7 boards for the Buckeyes.
This decision will not come as a surprise to anyone that has been paying attention. Bates-Diop is a junior in eligibility only. He missed most of last season through injury and was granted a medical redshirt, and he did enough work to graduate in December, a semester early. He even participated in Ohio State’s senior night this season.
Bates-Diop is projected as a mid-to-late first round pick.
ESPN was the first to report the news.
