University of Richmond Athletics
Francis, Gilyard, Golden to Enter 2020 NBA Draft, Maintain Eligibility
04/06/2020 | Men's Basketball
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. --Â Â Richmond juniors Blake Francis, Jacob Gilyard, and Grant Golden will enter the 2020 NBA Draft while reserving their right to withdraw and preserve their final year of college eligibility.
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"Our entire program supports the decision by Blake, Grant, and Jacob," said head coach Chris Mooney. "Going through the NBA Draft evaluation process will help them pursue their dreams of playing professional basketball at the highest level. Their talent and hard work have put them in a position where those dreams are closer than ever, and we will do everything we can to assist them in this process."
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By declaring for the draft, Francis, Gilyard, and Golden can work out and be evaluated by NBA teams, receiving feedback and advice on how to maximize their chances of reaching the NBA. By maintaining their eligibility, the trio can return to Richmond for their senior seasons should they decide to withdraw their names from the NBA Draft. The deadline for players to withdraw in order to return to school is currently June 3.Â
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Francis, Gilyard, and Golden each earned All-Atlantic 10 honors this season after leading Richmond to a school-record 14 conference wins and 24 regular-season wins, tied for the most in program history.Â
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Francis led the Spiders with 17.7 points per game, fourth most in the A-10 and the most by a Spider since T.J. Cline in 2016-17. He was a Second Team All-Atlantic 10 selection. Gilyard led the nation in steals with 3.2 per game and ranked 10th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio on his way to earning First Team All-Atlantic 10 honors. Golden averaged 13 points and seven rebounds and was named Second Team All-Atlantic 10, becoming the first Spider ever to earn All-Conference honors following his freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons.
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The 2020 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 25.
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"Our entire program supports the decision by Blake, Grant, and Jacob," said head coach Chris Mooney. "Going through the NBA Draft evaluation process will help them pursue their dreams of playing professional basketball at the highest level. Their talent and hard work have put them in a position where those dreams are closer than ever, and we will do everything we can to assist them in this process."
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By declaring for the draft, Francis, Gilyard, and Golden can work out and be evaluated by NBA teams, receiving feedback and advice on how to maximize their chances of reaching the NBA. By maintaining their eligibility, the trio can return to Richmond for their senior seasons should they decide to withdraw their names from the NBA Draft. The deadline for players to withdraw in order to return to school is currently June 3.Â
Â
Francis, Gilyard, and Golden each earned All-Atlantic 10 honors this season after leading Richmond to a school-record 14 conference wins and 24 regular-season wins, tied for the most in program history.Â
Â
Francis led the Spiders with 17.7 points per game, fourth most in the A-10 and the most by a Spider since T.J. Cline in 2016-17. He was a Second Team All-Atlantic 10 selection. Gilyard led the nation in steals with 3.2 per game and ranked 10th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio on his way to earning First Team All-Atlantic 10 honors. Golden averaged 13 points and seven rebounds and was named Second Team All-Atlantic 10, becoming the first Spider ever to earn All-Conference honors following his freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons.
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The 2020 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 25.
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Players Mentioned
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