By JACOB POLACHECK
Villanova sophomore Donte DiVincenzo has decided to stay in the 2018 NBA Draft, as first reported by Yahoo Sports Tuesday. DiVincenzo will sign with an agent and forgo his remaining college eligibility.
“After gathering all of the information possible, my decision is to keep my name in the NBA draft and plan to hire an agent,” said DiVincenzo in a statement released via Instagram. “I thank everyone who has helped me reach this decision because it was not easy. I strive to get better as a person and a player every day, everything that Villanova has instilled in me will allow me to reach all goals I have in mind.”
The native of Wilmington, Del., earned 2017-18 Big East Sixth Man of the Year honors and then capped his campaign with a 31-point explosion in the NCAA National Championship game against Michigan on April 2. DiVincenzo, a redshirt sophomore, averaged 13.4 points and 4.8 rebounds for the Wildcats while appearing in all 40 games in ’17-18.
He is projected as the No. 33 pick in the NBA Draft, per ESPN.com.
“Donte has handled this process intelligently and received very positive feedback from the NBA teams about his prospects in this year’s draft,” said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. “We fully support this decision and are excited about what the future holds for him at the next level. Donte is an outstanding young man and the Nova Nation will always take pride in his accomplishments.”