UPDATE – 4:02 p.m.: Dana Altman reportedly told CBS Sports Chris Boucher and Jordan Bell will not declare for the NBA Draft, and Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey are still weighing their options.
Oregon’s Chris Boucher and Jordan Bell will not enter the 2016 NBA Draft, Dana Altman told @CBSSports. Both are returning to school.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 14, 2016
Oregon’s Tyler Dorsey and Dillon Brooks are both still weighing their options for next year, Dana Altman told @CBSSports.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 14, 2016
It was initially reported that both Dillon Brooks and Chris Boucher declared for the NBA Draft, but neither would hire an agent, according to ESPN.
Oregon’s Dillon Brooks and Chris Boucher will both declare for the NBA Draft, but will not hire an agent, sources told ESPN.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) April 14, 2016
By not hiring agents the two players would have until May 25 to decide whether or not they want to fully commit to the draft. Due to a newly implemented rule, college prospects are now allowed to enter the draft, participate in the NBA combine and go through one team workout without surrendering their amateur eligibility.
Brooks was Oregon’s leading scorer during the 2015-16 campaign. The sophomore averaged 16.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, and received All Pac-12 first team honors. Boucher, who received a waiver in March to play a fifth year of college basketball, shattered Oregon’s single season blocks record and was an All Pac-12 honorable mention selection last season.
Should they elect to return to school, Brooks and Boucher figure to be two of the main pieces for an Oregon team that could return atleast six key contributes from a team that made it to the Elite Eight for the second time in school history. Many ‘Way-To-Early’ preseason polls have already predicted that Oregon will start the 2016-17 season ranked in the top ten.
In Chad Ford’s latest ESPN Big Board, the draft analyst has sophomore forward Jordan Bell as Oregon’s highest ranked player at No. 54. Sophomore guard Tyler Dorsey is ranked No. 60, while Boucher is No. 63. Ford did not have Brooks in his top 100.
Follow Jarrid Denney on Twitter @jarrid_denney