The Oklahoma basketball program will be returning one of the few function parts of its team last season.
On Monday, it was announced that Khadeem Lattin, the Sooners’ imposing 6-foot-9 forward, will not enter the NBA Draft, and instead will return to school for his final year of eligibility.
Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports was first to report the news.
Oklahoma's Khadeem Lattin will return to school for his senior season, per a source. Entered 2017 NBA Draft process without an agent.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 1, 2017
The Sooners struggled last season, going 11-20 and being crushed by one of college basketball’s toughest schedules. Last season the Sooners went 29-8 and were ranked as high as first in the country, they likely would have felt more confident about being able to replace a player like Lattin.
They’ll be looking for a rebound year, and Lattin will be one of the experienced veterans on the team expected to guide the younger players to victory. His 8.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game last season were impressive, but he’ll need to go beyond those numbers next year.
Lattin had originally announced his intention to enter the NBA Draft this season, but chose not to hire an agent in case he wanted to return to college. After undergoing NBA evaluation, the forward has decided that another year of college ball is the right decision; and with the field of eligible draftees already over-crowded with underclassmen, he’s probably right.
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