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On Friday, Charles Matthews announced that he would be declaring for the 2018 NBA Draft without hiring an agent. This is big news for the Michigan Wolverines as the program prepares to move forward from its stellar 2017-’18 campaign.
Extremely blessed and excited for this opportunity. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/36GuvQ4S78
— Charles Matthews (@1CMatthews) April 20, 2018
Matthews only played one season for the Wolverines after transferring in from Kentucky, but made quite a mark. He averaged 13.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game and finished second on the team in scoring last season. Matthews also came up huge in the postseason, scoring double-digits in five NCAA Tournament games.
Prior to his time in Ann Arbor, Matthews was a major high school recruit and played one season at Kentucky. He was rated as a four-star prospect out of high school by 247Sports. Afterwards, he helped the Wildcats win the 2016 SEC Tournament and make the Round of 32. However, he opted to transfer after just one season in Lexington.
Considering that Matthews isn’t even listed on NBADraft.net’s latest mock 2018 NBA Draft, it’s reasonable to think that Matthews will return for next season. Things can still change, but it’s pretty rare to see a guy declare early when he’s likely not going to get drafted.
However, if Matthews does remain in the draft, it would be a pretty massive hit to Michigan’s hopes next season. The Wolverines are already losing two starters and a key bench player and that doesn’t even include Matthews. Adding Matthews to that group would gut last year’s squad that made the national championship game.
There’s no telling if Matthewswill end up returning to school, but BTPowerhouse will keep you updated as we move closer to the deadline. The deadline to withdraw and return to school is May 30, 2018, so fans will have to hold tight until then. In the meantime, fans will have to hold on to their seats.