Adel Will Return, Removes Name from NBA Draft
May 23, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Head coach Rick Pitino provided a summer update on the team on Tuesday.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville guard/forward Deng Adel and has removed his name from consideration for the 2017 NBA Draft and will return for his junior year in the 2017-18 season.
The subject was one of several updates on the Cardinals that UofL Coach Rick Pitino addressed at a news conference on Tuesday.
An All-ACC Academic Men's Basketball team selection each of the last two years, Adel was the Cardinals' primary starter at small forward last season as the Cardinals posted a 25-9 record, tied for second in the ACC and produced a No. 10 ranking in the final Associated Press poll. He averaged 12.1 points, 4.5 assists, and made 44 3-point goals, scoring in double digits in 22 games.
The 6-foot-7 Adel from Melbourne, Australia, was the Cards' scoring leader over the last six games of the season, averaging 16.3 points, shooting 54 percent from the field (35-of-65), and scoring at least 16 points in five of the six. He averaged 14.2 points over his last 15 games while shooting 47.2 percent from the field (77-of-163). Adel scored a career-high 22 points at Wake Forest while pulling down five rebounds and dishing out three assists.
UofL's third-leading scorer last season, Adel is one of seven lettermen that will return for the Cardinals. Scoring leader Donovan Mitchell (15.6 ppg, 4.9 apg, 80 3-pointers) declared for the NBA Draft following his sophomore season and is considered a likely first-round selection. Senior forward/center Mangok Mathiang and junior forward Jaylen Johnson, who is departing after three seasons to seeking a professional basketball career, are also candidates for draft consideration.
