Oregon center N'Faly Dante announces return to Ducks for 2023-24 season
Oregon hoops just got a massive piece of good news for their 2023-24 roster. On Monday, Ducks’ starting center N’Faly Dante announced that he is returning to school for next season to use his extra year of eligibility.
Dante broke out in his true senior season in 2023 to lead the team in scoring and rebounding at 13.4 points a game and 8.4 rebounds per game. He also finished as an All-Pac-12 player and will be one of the top returning big men in the country.
Here Dante’s his announcement, which he tweeted:
The Wichita, KS native was a consensus top-30 player in the 2019 class who picked Oregon over Kentucky and several other top programs. He was rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 26 overall player in that cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.
More on the 2023 NBA Draft
The 2023 NBA Draft is set to take place on Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. Round 1 of the draft will be announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, while Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum is expected to handle the second round of picks.
To be eligible for the NBA Draft, players must be at least 19 years in age during the calendar year that the draft is held and at least one NBA season from their high school graduation date, or the date that would have been if they are not graduated. It is not required that player spend that one year playing college basketball, though. Players can play in either college, abroad, or the G League Ignite if they choose so.
While this is a significant change from what the rules once were, players are eligible to enter their names into the NBA Draft pool and explore their options by hiring an agent to go through the process, while still keeping their college eligibility. The deadline to make that move is on April 23 beginning at 11:59 p.m. ET. Players have until June 12 at 5 p.m. ET to withdraw their name from the pool and return to college.
The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 16, which is also the start of the NBA Conference Finals.