Georgetown sophomore Otto Porter Jr. is headed to the NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-8 Porter Jr. is projected as the No. 8 pick by DraftExpress.com.
He was named Big East Player of the Year and was also selected as a John R. Wooden All-American and was a finalist for the Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy.
“It was a tough decision. I love Georgetown, my coaches and my teammates,” Porter Jr. said. “I’m going to come back and finish up my degree, but during the season I’ve been trying to focus on the season. After the season, I started thinking about my decision and I spoke to my parents about it. I knew it was coming down to it, but my coaches, my teammates and my parents have helped prepare me for this next step.”
Added Hoyas coach John Thompson III:
“I think he’s ready, as much mentally and emotionally as it relates to basketball,” Thompson III said. “I thought he went about the process in an educated manner. He had good choices. He could come back to school which is a very good choice or he could head to the NBA, which is also a very good choice. In our many conversations, he has said, much like Jeff (Green) did and Greg (Monroe) is doing, he’s going to come back and finish his degree. It’s a process – and he’s prepared.”
Earlier this year, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim called Porter Jr. the best small forward he’s ever seen in the Big East.
“I don’t see a weakness in his game from a perimeter point of view of a guy that I’ve seen in this league over the years,” Boeheim said.
“There’s been so many great players, but centers, power forwards, point guards, two guards, but I don’t think I’ve seen a better small forward in this league. He’s just a complete player.
“If we were still in this league, I’d be saying that to get him out. But we’re not.”
