The University of Alabama will hold a basketball press conference on Friday morning. While UA did not officially announce the reason for the press conference, The News has learned that freshman Collin Sexton will announce his future plans at that time.
Sexton, the SEC co-Freshman of the Year, is a projected lottery pick in the 2018 NBA draft. Although he and his family have researched his options carefully, most NBA sources expect Sexton to enter the draft. He could be Alabama’s highest draft choice since Antonio McDyess, the No. 2 overall choice in 1995.
He would be the first player to attend Alabama for one season before leaving for the NBA since the league added the “one and done” rule before the 2006 draft.
This year, Alabama reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2012 and advanced to the second round for the first time since 2006.
Sexton finished the season with 632 points and led Alabama with 19.2 points per game. It was the third-most points in a single season in Alabama history and the most ever for a freshman. The previous record had been 16.8 points per game, set by James Robinson in 1990-91. He also finished the season with a team-high 119 assists, good for 3.6 per game.
He was second in school history with 252 free throws attempted in a single season and set the school record by making 196 of them. He scored 40 points in a loss to Minnesota on Nov. 25, the eighth-most scored by a single player in a game in school history.
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.
