[DcmRulzParticipant]

according to Fox Sports, UConn Forward Ater Majok declared for the NBA Draft, but didn’t hire an agent. I highly doubt he stays, because he probably wouldn’t get drafted, on the count of no games played. I think he could be a potential first rounder if he plays.

http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/9491444/UConn's-Majok-testing-NBA-waters-

[eprizzle14Participant]

Wathcing videos of this kid he’s got a ton of potential. I imagine teams are going to be working out this guy crazy because no one has really seen his game at full speed. Looks like he has decent athlecticism in the relm of Durant, good coordination and a lot of length. I want to see this guy workout against someone like an established Jeff Pergraph or if you want a wing then Cunningham. He might stay if some team says theyll take him in the top 15 or 20.

[Pistol Pete. The PelicanParticipant]

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut freshman basketball player Ater Majok, whose name has come up in recruiting allegations against the school, declared Thursday for the NBA draft.

Majok, a 6-foot-10 forward, said he won’t hire an agent and intends to assess where he stands with the NBA and return to school. He has until June 15 to withdraw his name and retain his eligibility.

“I feel it will help me to test the process and get feedback on my strengths and weaknesses,” Majok said in a statement released by the school. “It will allow me to get a better idea of what areas in my game need improvement and make me a better player in the future.”

Majok, a former refugee from Sudan, is not eligible to play at Connecticut until the end of the 2009 fall semester.

UConn head coach Jim Calhoun said that, in view of upcoming rule changes for underclassmen, “this is an opportunity for Ater to see where he currently fits into what I believe will be a future in professional basketball.”

Reports have linked Josh Nochimson, a former UConn student manager, to the appearance of Majok at a basketball tournament last year in Kentucky. Phone calls between Nochimson and UConn’s coaches are at the center of an NCAA investigation into possible recruiting violations.

Most of those allegations involve another UConn recruit, Nate Miles. Yahoo! Sports reported in March that Nochimson helped guide Miles to Connecticut, giving him lodging, transportation, meals and representation. Miles, of Toledo, Ohio, was expelled from Connecticut last fall before ever playing for the Huskies.

Calhoun has acknowledged that he or his staff may have made mistakes in recruiting Miles.

Majok, who speaks several languages, signed with UConn last spring, but his enrollment was held up by questions about his academic qualifications. He spent several years in a refugee camp in Egypt before becoming a citizen of Australia through a United Nations program.

Majok is the second UConn underclassman to declare for the draft. Junior center Hasheem Thabeet, the 7-foot-3 Big East co-player of the year from Tanzania, is expected to be a lottery pick.

[canesboy6Participant]

It seems like his mind is on entering next year. Which is a bad look from a kid who had to sit out last year for academics at a school under investigation, especially one involving him. Ive read nothing but people thinking that there will be less workouts in these times, so i wonder how many he is going to get. It wouldn’t shock me if he was trying to jump ship since his name is comming up in scandals, perhaps there is something to hide, and is looking for a flyer in the second round. He may be saying out of respect to the school he is probably returning so it doesnt look bad for the program, but this just smells fishy to me.

[deuce4off]

He stated recently that he is only testing the waters to find out what his weakness’s are so he can improve on them this upcoming season, and that he fully intends to return to school. He wouldn’t go in the top 20 if he stays, so it makes no sense for him to leave his name in the draft. A year or two spent at UCONN and he should be a lottery pick.

[Author]

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