Two Clemson basketball juniors declare for NBA draft

Clemson redshirt juniors Marcquise Reed and Shelton Mitchell declared for the NBA draft on Monday, 10 days after the Tigers’ season ended in a Sweet 16 loss to Kansas.

Reed and Mitchell were a big part of Clemson’s first Sweet 16 appearance in 21 years as Reed led the Tigers in scoring at 15.8 points per game last season, while Mitchell added 12.2 points per game and a team-high 3.4 assists.

The two will not sign with agents and could opt to return to Clemson for their senior seasons.

“This is the next step in the process for both Marcquise and Shelton as they pursue their goal of playing in the NBA,” Tigers coach Brad Brownell said in a statement. “They both have turned in terrific seasons for us, and we’re proud of how hard they have worked to put themselves in this position. Our staff will continue to gather the necessary information throughout the process to help them make the best decision possible.”

Reed transferred to Clemson after playing at Robert Morris as a freshman in 2014-15. He redshirted in 2015-16 before helping the Tigers to the NIT as a sophomore and NCAA Tournament as a junior.

Mitchell began his college career at Vanderbilt and started 11 games in 2014-15 before also redshirting in 2015-16. He was Clemson’s starting point guard each of the past two years.

Clemson junior Elijah Thomas, who averaged 11 points and eight rebounds this past season, announced on Friday that he will return for his senior season.

This story was originally published April 2, 2018 at 3:13 PM with the headline "Two Clemson basketball juniors declare for NBA draft."