Alabama point guard Collin Sexton didn’t say whether or not he would enter the 2018 NBA draft following Alabama’s 81-58 loss to Villanova on Saturday.
Sexton was asked directly at the postgame press conference if he planned to enter the draft. He’s widely projected as a lottery pick and could be the first point guard chosen.
“Right now, I’m worried about my team and celebrating with my team because we had a great season,” he said. “Also, I got to finish school, and I’m trying to finish with a 4.0.”
Alabama coach Avery Johnson said he would speak with Sexton and his family in the coming days as he makes his decision.
“His family and I, we’ve been on the same page from day one,” Johnson said. “There’s no lack of communication. We talked about coming to Alabama, we talked about his future. But one of the things that we said was, immediately after the season is over, we’re going to sit down and we’re going to talk about it. I just know Collin Sexton is a competitor. So right now, you know what he’s competing for? He’s trying to beat Herb Jones in the classroom. He wants to get that 4.0. He doesn’t miss class. He fulfills all of his academic responsibilities. What I anticipate is, on Monday, Collin is going to be in class and he’s going to come up and visit Coach and I’ll have a conversation with he and his family about his future.”
Sexton finished the season with 632 points, averaging 19.2 per game. It was the third-most in a single season in Alabama history and the most ever for a freshman. He also finished the season with 119 assists.
Sexton finished the loss to Villanova with a team-high 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting. He added four rebounds and three assists, but also had five turnovers. He went to the bench after being called for a technical foul with 5:21 to go in the game as Alabama trailed 45-69 and did not return.
He shook hands with Villanova’s players and coaches after the game and was the final Alabama player to leave the court.
The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2018 NBA draft is April 22. Underclassmen who have not signed an agent can withdraw from the draft until June 11.
