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Men's Basketball

Grant to declare for 2014 NBA Draft

Sam Maller | Staff Photographer

Jerami Grant becomes the second Orange underclassman to declare for the draft this offseason after freshman point guard Tyler Ennis announced his departure on March 27.

By Stephen Bailey

Syracuse forward Jerami Grant will declare for the 2014 NBA Draft.

Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated reported the decision early Monday afternoon before SU Athletics released an announcement two hours later.

“After extensive discussions with my family and coaches, I have decided to pursue my dream of playing professional basketball and enter the 2014 NBA Draft,” Grant said in the release. “I am so thankful to Coach Boeheim and the rest of the Orange coaching staff for guiding me throughout my college career, and am grateful to my teammates for two incredible seasons.”

Grant is being projected as a mid-to-late first-round pick in most mock drafts after averaging 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds as a sophomore this season. He was limited down the stretch by a sore back, and managed just four points on 2-of-3 shooting in SU’s season-ending loss to Dayton in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 on March 22.

“I am excited to start my journey in the NBA, but I also look forward to finishing my college degree,” Grant said. “I cannot thank my coaches, teammates and the entire Orange community enough for all of their support.”



One NBA scout told The Daily Orange that he expects Grant to face an uphill battle for minutes early in his professional career, and will likely spend time on the bench or in the NBA Development League.

Grant becomes the second Orange underclassman to declare for the draft this offseason after freshman point guard Tyler Ennis announced his departure on March 27. Syracuse is also losing starting power forward C.J. Fair to graduation.

“We’d like to thank Jerami for his tremendous contribution to Syracuse basketball over the last two years,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said in the release. “We wish him well in all of his future endeavors.”

The SU frontcourt will add five-star signee Chris McCullough next season, who is currently playing for IMG Academy in Florida and will compete in the Jordan Brand Classic on Friday.





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