Arkansas PF Bobby Portis declaring for NBA Draft
On Tuesday Arkansas Razorbacks sophomore power forward Bobby Portis announced his decision to declare for the 2015 NBA Draft.
The 6’11”, 242 pound, Arkansas native helped lead the Razorbacks (27-9) into the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament beating Wofford 56-53 before falling to North Carolina 87-78. Along the way Portis averaged team-highs with 17.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
Arkansas fans were hoping the SEC Player of the Year would return for his junior season after lamenting over the UNC loss stating, “I’m leaning toward coming back just because we lost and I hate losing. I don’t want to end my Razorback career as a loser.”
Portis’ draft projection lands him somewhere in the first round. The high draft status was too much to pass up in the end. Portis made his announcement via Twitter writing, “Unbelievable experience for me at the University of Arkansas these past two years. The love I have for this program is unconditional but I’ve decided to forego my junior year of college to take the next step and enter the NBA Draft.”
The Razorbacks have lost Ky Madden and Alandise Harris to graduation and freshman guard Nick Babb, who transferred to Iowa State, from the 2014-2015 squad. There is a chance junior Michael Qualls could also declare for the NBA Draft. Qualls was a Second-Team All-SEC performer this season averaging 15.9 points per game.
The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NBA Draft is April 26.
Written by Ryan Wright
Photo credit: hoopshabit.com; No. 10 Bobby Portis greets Arkansas fans after a Razorbacks’ win.