Sophomore Star Isaiah Whitehead Declares for NBA Draft
5/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
South Orange, N.J. - Unanimous first-team All-BIG EAST sophomore guard Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.), the 2016 BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Player, has elected to forego his final two years of eligibility to enter the 2016 NBA Draft and pursue his dreams of playing professional basketball at the highest level. The draft takes place Thursday, June 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
"I am so proud of what Isaiah has accomplished," Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard said. "There wasn't a harder working young man who has done more to achieve his dream of playing in the NBA, and he now has a chance to see that dream come true. It has been an absolute pleasure coaching him for two years; he came here to help Seton Hall return to national prominence and the NCAA Tournament, and with the time he put in towards getting better, he did exactly that. Now he will be an ambassador for our great university at professional basketball's highest level."
Whitehead is bidding to become the 28th Seton Hall Pirate ever selected in the NBA Draft and the first since 2001. The talented sophomore, who played in front of NBA scouts all season with the Pirates, was invited to the 2016 NBA Draft Combine, where ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla said, "He's one of the best passers in this draft," and Jay Williams said, "When he's in attack mode, he's a dominant player."
At Seton Hall, Whitehead had a season for the ages, leading the Pirates to their first BIG EAST Tournament championship since 1993. He was second in the BIG EAST in scoring and assists, both overall (18.2 PPG, 5.1 APG) and in conference (20.0 PPG, 5.5 APG). In league play, he also led all players in three-pointers made per game at 2.9, was fourth in three-point shooting (.426) and third in blocked shots (1.7 BPG).
Whitehead was Seton Hall's first All-BIG EAST first team selection since 2008, the team's first Associated Press All-America honorable mention pick since 2004 and the program's first recipient of the Haggerty Award (Metropolitan Player of the Year) since 2004. He was also named USBWA All-District II and NABC All-District Five first team.
Whitehead ends his Seton Hall career with 883 points, which ranks him 52nd in school history overall and second among all-time Pirates who only competed for two seasons, an outstanding feat in only 56 games played. His 15.77 career points per game average ranks him 16th in program history, and his 4.48 career assists per game puts him eighth in the record book.
His 2015-16 single-season numbers also put him in the Pirates record book as he was top 20 in points (618), minutes played (1098), three-pointers made (81), assists (173) and blocks (49).
Although the loss of Whitehead is significant, the 2016-17 Pirates are shaping up to be a major contender in the BIG EAST and bid for a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. The defending champions will have four of their starters returning and 65 percent of their scoring and 83 percent of their rebounding coming back from a team that went 25-9 overall, 12-6 in conference, won five games against nationally ranked opponents and captured the BIG EAST Tournament championship.
