Former Wisconsin standout John Blackwell is not taking his talents to the NBA quite yet.
Blackwell is withdrawing from the NBA draft ahead of his senior season at Duke, he told the recruiting outlet On3’s Joe Tipton.
The 6-foot-4 guard both entered the transfer portal and declared for the draft when he announced his departure from the Badgers on April 6. He then committed to Duke on April 21 while continuing to go through the draft process.
Blackwell’s withdrawal from the draft is hardly a surprise. USA TODAY’s May 19 mock draft did not include the ex-Wisconsin star among the 30 projected first-round picks, and ESPN ranked him 65th among all draft prospects on May 12. He was among the prospects who participated in the NBA draft combine in Chicago.
Blackwell averaged 19 points and 4.9 rebounds per game and was an all-Big Ten third-team honoree in his third season with the Badgers. At Duke, Blackwell will join a talented backcourt that includes Cayden Boozer, Caleb Foster and others.
“Duke is, I think, the biggest brand in the country for if we’re talking about basketball,” Blackwell said at the combine. “For college basketball, they’re the biggest brand in the country. They’re playing on national television every single night. So I’ve been ready for it.”
At the same time, Blackwell told the Journal Sentinel’s Ben Steele that leaving Wisconsin was “pretty difficult because they took a chance on me.” UW was the only high-major school that offered him a scholarship out of high school.
“It was pretty hard telling them, but at the end of the day, I think it’s all love between us,” Blackwell said. “Hopefully (head coach Greg Gard is) going to be able to come to my wedding one day and all those coaches are going to be able to come to my wedding and (I can) still be involved in their kids’ lives.
Marc VandeWettering, UW’s men’s basketball general manager, told the Journal Sentinel in April that Blackwell “was a fantastic player for us for three years” and will “be remembered as a Badger.”
“We loved having John as part of the team, but we also understand the way this is transitioning,” VandeWettering said. “There’s a business side to this. And both sides have to make decisions on what’s the best thing for him and what’s the best thing for us. That’s no fault of anybody.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ex-Wisconsin star, Duke commit John Blackwell withdraws from NBA draft
Reporting by John Steppe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
