Kansas State junior Nae'Qwan Tomlin enters name into draft, maintains eligibility
It went quite a bit unnoticed since he didn’t provide a formal announcement like everyone else tends to do on social media, but Kansas State forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin has entered his name into the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility.
KSO learned about the development when his name was on the list of early entrants released by the NBA, and that list was tweeted out by Jon Rothstein of CBS.
That is not a surprise, obviously. In fact, the first to break the news was K-State head coach Jerome Tang on the Field of 68 Podcast soon after exiting the NCAA Tournament. It is just for the Kansas State junior to gather feedback and learn where he can make strides.
The expectation remains that he will be playing for K-State next season. That is likely why he did not publicize his decision to test the NBA waters. Tomlin has only played in Manhattan for one season and arrived at Kansas State after a stint at the junior college level.
He is the second player to do so for the Wildcats. Fellow K-State forward Keyontae Johnson has done the same, and he made the decision to maintain his college eligibility as well. His announcement was released on April 23.
Kansas State finished the season third in the Big 12 after being picked last before the season even began. They used that as ammunition throughout the year and it propelled them even further after advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Florida Atlantic.
Tomlin averaged 10 points, six rebounds and an assist per game during his first season of high-major basketball. The 6-foot-10, long-armed weapon is still perfecting his craft and working out the kinks, but he has enormous upside. Not many prospects have guard skills at that size.
He improved as a shooter as the year drew on, and he is going to be a remarkable defender for K-State as well. The biggest step that he can make next season for the Wildcats is his availability to stay on the court. By that, we mean he needs to stay out of foul trouble.
The Kansas State big has until May 31 to remove his name from draft consideration and return to college with eligibility.
