WKU Basketball: Charles Bassey Staying in NBA Draft. We Think.

Well, it’s official — Charles Bassey is staying in the NBA Draft and wont be returning to Western Kentucky for his sophomore year.

Photo Credit: Joe Faraoni | ESPN Images

Well, it’s official — Charles Bassey is staying in the NBA Draft and wont be returning to Western Kentucky for his sophomore year.

At least, it’s essentially official.

Here’s the thing; neither Bassey, nor WKU basketball, nor anyone else for that matter, has said/reported/confirmed/anything of the sort that Bassey is returning. It’s past the midnight deadline to do so, which means that he’s staying.

Now, there are technicalities at play here.

Bassey could have signed the paperwork (or whatever the process is) to return and there wasn’t an announcement made on either side prior to the deadline.

Having said that, there are reasons to believe Bassey is, in fact, staying in the Draft.

• The official reclassification of Jordan Rawls. While the program has yet to announce it, the Team Thad twitter account posted a video on Tuesday saying it was official.

• If you have a keen eye, you’ve noticed @WKUBasketball promoting a couple of big men in Tolu Smith and Moustapha Diagne, with Smith’s overseas play in China with Sports Reach USA and Diagne’s being named to the NABC Give Back Team. These are names WKU wants you to have fresh in your mind, because they’ll most likely be key in the post in 2019/20.

• Bassey spent Decision Day working out in Los Angeles (where I have it on good authority he’s been for…some time. Ya’ll remember when he wasn’t present for the TOPSY’s?) which…I think showed Bassey’s hand a bit.

As for where is stock is? Not…great?

We talked about it on Twitter leading up to it, but the Athletic and ESPN don’t have Bassey incredibly high in the aftermath of the combine.

Never the less, we wish Bassey well. Will he be drafted? Who knows. At worst, I see him as a GLeague player somewhere next year. Maybe the year after that. But it sure would be a thrill to hear his name called next month.

The NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, June 20.