Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats said Tuesday that UA guards Kira Lewis and John Petty will enter their names into the NBA Draft and go through that league’s evaluation process.
Players can withdraw their names from the draft prior to a deadline. For this season, that deadline is uncertain due to scheduling delays caused by the coronavirus.
“I’ve talked to Kira and John and they are entering their names in the draft,” Oats said. “We’re operating on the assumption they will leave. We are recruiting their replacements right now. If you don’t operate that way, that’s where you get stuck and really have a bad year.
“If they return, that’s a pleasant surprise.”
Lewis was a first-team All-SEC selection as a sophomore in 2019-2020. Petty was on the coaches’ second-team All-SEC squad.
“They’re talking to agents, getting feedback but I don’t think they will hire agents until they go through the process,” Oats said.
Oats also said that forward Alex Reese, who was arrested on a charge of public intoxication in Tuscaloosa on March 14, was being dealt with “in-house.” Reese, a junior forward, remains on the roster but “really has to show that he wants to remain on this team.”
More to come on Tidesports.com
“This (coronavirus) is going to be a great way to find out who wants to be here because it’s a great excuse if you don’t want
