Following his record-setting year with the FGCU men’s basketball team, Brandon Goodwin has declared for the 2017 NBA Draft.
Deciding not to hire an agent, Goodwin will be able to maintain his amateurism while he goes through the evaluation process.
“It’s been my dream to play in the NBA, and this is a great opportunity for me to find out just where I stand,” Goodwin said in an FGCU Athletics press release. “Going through this evaluation process over the next month or so should provide me with a better understanding of that and allow me to make a more well-informed decision.”
Mirroring what Marc-Eddy Norelia did last year, Goodwin will able to attend workouts scheduled by NBA teams, and if he is invited, the Norcross, Georgia, native will be eligible to compete in the NBA Draft combine May 9-14.
With the deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft on June 12, Goodwin can decide to withdraw from the Draft and return to FGCU for his senior season without any penalty.
In January of 2016, NCAA officials adopted a proposal that changed the date by which student-athletes have to remove his name from the Draft without giving up his amateurism. Making that change, the NCAA decided that it would provide student-athletes the opportunity to make a fully-informed decision if they want to return to school or prepare themselves for a potential professional basketball career.
“Brandon is coming off the most prolific scoring season in program history, and after speaking with him, we both decided this would be the best option for him to see what areas of his game still need improving,” FGCU head coach Joe Dooley said in an FGCU Athletics press release. “With this being the second year of the new NCAA rules in place, it’s a great way for him to see just where he stands relative to his peers.”
Playing his first season with FGCU after transferring from UCF, Goodwin set the program’s single-season scoring record with 629 points. Goodwin also led the Eagles in points and assists per game, averaging 18.5 points and 4.1 assists respectively.
Tabbed the ASUN Newcomer of the Year prior to the ASUN Men’s Basketball Championship, Goodwin was named the ASUN Men’s Basketball Championship MVP and led FGCU to its second-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
After recording 28 points and seven assists in the Eagles’ 86-80 first-round loss to FSU in the NCAA Tournament, Goodwin became the fourth player in FGCU program history to be named to the NABC District 3 First Team.