CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Less than 48 hours after thousands of fans celebrated the UVA basketball national championship, the team’s roster started coming apart.
In two separate Instagram posts that were expected but still bittersweet, both De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome announced they are leaving UVA early to enter the NBA draft.
Hunter is a projected lottery pick and is expected to be taken in the top 10 when the NBA draft is held in June. He averaged over 15 points per game this year while being named the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Hunter scored a career-high 27 points in the title game win over Texas Tech, including the 3-pointer that sent the game to overtime and another that gave the Cavaliers the lead for good in the extra session.
Earlier on Monday, teammate Ty Jerome also announced his plans to leave UVA early for the draft. Jerome was named 2nd team All-ACC this year after averaging over 16 points per game and connecting on 40% of his three-point shots.
UVA fans had held out hope that Jerome might stay for his senior season, but he is projected to be a late first-round pick. While Hunter’s future is virtually assured, there is a way Jerome could return to UVA if his draft status doesn’t turn out to be what is expected.
He would need to hire an NCAA certified agent, requests an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee and withdraws from draft consideration by May 29th. After that, he would only be able to return if he attends the NBA combine and goes undrafted.
