NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee EDUCATIONAL GUIDE UAC • NBA Contents
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NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee EDUCATIONAL GUIDE UAC • NBA Contents PART ONE PART FOUR 02 The Mission 08 Making an 03 Methodology Informed Decision and Feedback 09 Setting Expectations PART TWO PART FIVE 04 Key Dates 11 NBA G League PART THREE PART SIX 06 Sample Evaluation 12 Application 07 Understanding Your for Evaluation Evaluation The PART ONE Mission The NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee ("UAC"), established annually in consultation with the NCAA, provides college underclassmen who are thinking of turning professional with an independent evaluation of their prospects in the upcoming NBA Draft. The UAC’s evaluation is, of course, only an educated assessment and is not binding in any way or a commitment or guarantee that a player will or will not be drafted in a certain slot, range, or at all. Please also understand that the UAC’s evaluation should in no way be viewed as an effort to encourage the player to leave school; the UAC is simply responding to a request for information. Please note that the UAC’s evaluation is confi dential and will not be made public. 02 Methodology UAC applicants who remain in the 2019 NBA Draft through the NBA Draft Combine The NBA Basketball Operations will receive updated written feedback Department (“NBA Basketball Operations”) from the UAC prior to the NCAA’s deadline invites groups of NBA teams to submit to withdraw from the NBA Draft. confi dential evaluations on each player who applied for feedback from the UAC. In certain cases, NBA Basketball Operations personnel will communicate NBA Basketball Operations collects and with a UAC applicant and his head compiles the evaluations provided by NBA college coach (and other individuals teams and provides that information to designated by the applicant) on the each UAC applicant. Each UAC applicant telephone as appropriate to provide will be provided with feedback on how additional context regarding the feedback NBA teams evaluate him on an aggregated that the player received from the UAC. and deidentifi ed basis, but no information will be provided relating to a particular team’s evaluation of the applicant. NCAA Compliance The UAC is chaired by the NBA’s Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, Any college underclassman who is Kiki VanDeWeghe. Prior to his current contemplating entering the NBA Draft as role, VanDeWeghe served as the General an early entrant and simultaneously wishes Manager of two NBA teams and head to preserve the possibility of returning to coach of an NBA team, following 14 play college basketball should consult seasons as a player in the NBA and a directly with his school’s compliance standout collegiate career at UCLA where offi ce to ensure a full and accurate he was an Academic All-American. understanding of all applicable NCAA rules. Feedback Please direct all Prior to the NBA’s early entry deadline, UAC-related each UAC applicant will receive a written evaluation that provides his most likely correspondence to Draft range, or indicates that he is likely not to be drafted at all, in the 2019 NBA Draft. [email protected] 03 Beginning on April 23, 2019, a college underclassman who declared Key for the NBA Draft may, under NBA rules, communicate with NBA team personnel and participate in PART TWO Dates workouts in front of NBA teams. Declaring for the NBA Draft does not guarantee a player that he will get the opportunity to participate in Any college underclassman who would pre-Draft workouts with NBA teams. like an evaluation from the UAC must NBA teams may schedule pre- apply in writing after the conclusion of Draft workouts with Draft-eligible his team’s college season (including players at their own discretion all tournament games) but no later as permitted by NBA rules. than April 11, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The NBA Draft Combine will take place Under NBA rules, requesting an from May 14-19, 2019 in Chicago. evaluation from the UAC does not automatically enter a player in the On May 12-14, 2019, the NBA G NBA Draft, nor is a player required League Elite Camp will take place in to apply for feedback from the Chicago (in connection with the NBA UAC to enter the NBA Draft. Draft Combine) for approximately 40 of the best Draft-eligible players Declaring for the NBA Draft requires who did not initially receive an submitting separate paperwork to invitation to the Combine. The the NBA. A college underclassman highest performing players at the must send a letter to Commissioner NBA G League Elite Camp will be Adam Silver at DraftMailbox@ invited to participate in the Combine. nba.com stating his desire to enter the 2019 NBA Draft as an The NCAA’s deadline for players to withdraw early entrant. The letter must be from the NBA Draft while retaining NCAA signed and include the player’s eligibility is May 29, 2019 by 11:59 p.m. ET. current school, year in school, date of birth, daytime phone number, The NBA’s deadline for players to home address, and email address. withdraw from the NBA Draft is June 10, 2019 by 5 p.m. ET. An early entry player must declare for the NBA Draft by April 21, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The NBA Draft is on June 20, 2019. 04 Timeline for 2019 APRIL 11 UAC Application Deadline (BY 11:59 P.M. ET) Last date UAC applicants will receive APRIL 21 initial feedback from UAC APRIL 21 NBA Early Entry Deadline (BY 11:59 P.M. ET) NBA teams may begin contacting Draft-eligible APRIL 23 prospects for workouts and interviews MAY 12-14 NBA G League Elite Camp (Chicago, IL) MAY 14 NBA Draft Lottery MAY 14-19 NBA Draft Combine (Chicago, IL) Last date remaining UAC applicants will MAY 29 receive updated feedback from UAC MAY 29 NCAA Early Entry Withdrawal Deadline (BY 11:59 P.M. ET) JUNE 10 NBA Early Entry Withdrawal Deadline (BY 5 P.M. ET) JUNE 20 NBA Draft (New York, NY) 05 Sample PART THREE Evaluation Each UAC applicant will receive an evaluation like the sample provided below. Evaluation NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee PLAYER John Doe MOST LIKELY DRAFT RANGE SCHOOL University/College Name First Half of Second Round DRAFT YEAR 2019 FIRST ROUND FIRST HALF OF SECOND HALF OF LOTTERY NON-LOTTERY SECOND ROUND SECOND ROUND UNDRAFTED (Pick No. 1-14) (Pick No. 15-30) (Pick No. 31-45) (Pick No. 46-60) 0% 30% 40% 20% 10% VOTE BREAKDOWN 06 Understanding Your PART THREE Evaluation The pre-Draft process is fluid.Between Historically, the Second Round has the time when an applicant receives his presented more uncertainty. A player feedback from the UAC and the NBA Draft, who receives feedback from the UAC the player’s most likely Draft range could indicating that his most likely Draft range move up or down based on a variety of is in the Second Round, particularly factors, including: the player’s performance late in the round, should prepare for the during the pre-Draft process; certain other possibility that he could go undrafted players either remaining in, or withdrawing if he remains in the NBA Draft. from, the NBA Draft; teams’ evaluation of the player relative to other Draft It is more difficult to accurately prospects; and specific team preferences. predict how the Second Round may unfold, particularly late in The UAC typically has been accurate the round, because certain teams when projecting a player will be drafted at times take a wide variety of in the First Round. Since 2016, 49 of 54 considerations into account when (91%) players who received an evaluation deciding whom to select in the indicating they were likely to be selected Second Round and may not simply in the First Round of the NBA Draft select the best player available. ultimately were selected in the First Round. All 54 were selected in the NBA Draft. For example, based on a team’s view of a player or for other The UAC has been highly accurate when basketball reasons, a team may projecting a player will go undrafted. use its Second Round pick to Since 2016, all 30 players who received (i) select a player regarded as an evaluation indicating they were more of a “risk” or “developmental” likely to go undrafted yet decided to prospect, or (ii) select a player the remain in the NBA Draft ultimately went team views as a better “fit” with its undrafted in their respective Draft years. current roster or long-term goals. 07 Making an PART FOUR Informed Decision Numerous sources of information Many college underclassmen enter are available: During the pre-Draft the NBA Draft but go undrafted: process, a player can develop a In the past 3 years, an average of better understanding of his most 31 college underclassmen per year likely Draft range based on various declared early for the NBA Draft, sources of information, including: yet ultimately went undrafted. Feedback provided by the UAC. Most players who apply for UAC feedback return to college: Among the Whether the player received an 176 players evaluated by the UAC in 2018, invitation to the NBA Draft Combine only 54 entered the NBA Draft (31%). and, if so, his performance at the Combine. (Based on recent College basketball players must history, if a player does not receive compete for Draft slots with non- an invitation to the Combine, college players: About 20% of all he likely will not be drafted in NBA Draft picks in recent years never the upcoming NBA Draft.) played college basketball and, instead, played on a team outside the United Interest among NBA teams in States before entering the NBA Draft.