Washington had strong performances at the G League Elite Camp and NBA Combine this month.
According to Stadium’s Jeff Goodman, Ohio State guard Duane Washington will forgo his senior season at Ohio State and remain in the NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-3 and 210-pound Washington, came to Ohio State as a three-star prospect from Grand Rapids, Mich., by way of Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon. He led the Buckeyes in scoring with 16.4 points per game last season.
Washington and junior forward E.J. Liddell, who also declared for the draft in March but has not yet announced whether he’ll return to school, were invited to participate in the G League Elite Camp in Chicago earlier this month.
And following a strong performance at the camp, where he averaged 15.5 points, 1.5 assists and 1.0 rebounds in two games, Washington was among the 70-plus players selected to participate in the NBA Draft Combine in the days thereafter.
Once there, he had individual workouts with the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves and apparently received enough positive feedback to not return to Columbus for another year.
Liddell, meanwhile, has until July 7 to make his own decision, though he recently appeared in a photo from a workout with past and present Buckeyes – which would seemingly signal his intention to return.
Washington’s departure means Ohio State’s backcourt next season will consist of Penn State graduate transfer Jamari Wheeler, fifth-year senior Jimmy Sotos, sophomore Meechie Johnson and incoming freshman Malaki Branham. The Buckeyes do have an extra scholarship available now, though it’s unclear if or how they’ll ultimately fill that spot on the roster.
-----
You may also like:
-----
Be sure to stay locked into BuckeyesNow all the time!
Join the BuckeyesNow community!
Subscribe to the BuckeyesNow YouTube channel
Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AndrewMLind
Follow BuckeyesNow on Twitter: @BuckeyesNowSI
Like and follow BuckeyesNow on Facebook