Shumpert to stay in draft
Georgia Tech guard Iman Shumpert has decided to forego his final year of eligibility and stay in the NBA draft. Shumpert, a second-team All-ACC pick last season, will hire an agent and begin working out for NBA teams.
“I appreciate everything that Georgia Tech has done for me over my time here,” Shumpert said in a statement.
This past season, Shumpert became only the fourth player in ACC history to lead his team in scoring, rebounds, assists and steals. He was also selected to the ACC all-defensive team. Over his career, he scored in double figures 55 times out of 92 games.
At the time he decided to enter his name into the draft in late March, Shumpert said he was 50-50 and that he would likely return if he was projected as a second-round pick. That has largely turned out to be the evaluation. NBA scouting director Ryan Blake said last week that he projected Shumpert as either a second-round pick or undrafted and advised him to stay in school.
“I like him; he’s a good player,” Blake said. “I think he still has concerns.”
Shumpert has the support of new coach Brian Gregory, who said he could have had an “All-American-type season” if he chose to stay.
“After working with him the last month or so, I’m confident that his workouts will be very good and he has a successful NBA career in front of him,” Gregory said in a statement.
Shumpert has a Tuesday afternoon news conference planned at Tech.
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87 comments Add your comment
RAMBLE ON!!!
May 3rd, 2011
5:21 pm
He’ll never start in a NBA game. Welcome to Europe.
ormewood
May 3rd, 2011
5:23 pm
Declares for the draft, a draft in which he may not even be picked, to a league that may not even play next season.
It is projected to be a really weak draft, but I don’t think this was a wise decision.
Hewitt fan
May 3rd, 2011
5:27 pm
Great move..coach Gregory offense looked horrible at Dayton, and with the ACC refs, he was not going to get better anyway..he will play in the NBA for a long time!
North Ave Killer Beez
May 3rd, 2011
5:32 pm
What a bunch of Homo fanz! I would have loved to see Shooomp stay, but he is going to have a nice career. All the tools necessary to become and elite point guard in the NBA. His 3-point range may need some work, but his mid-range game and obviously his ability to gaurd bigger guards will be an advantage to who ever drafts him. I would love to see him in a hawks uniform.
BYRDDAWG
May 3rd, 2011
5:44 pm
I wondered how long it would take for Hewitt fan to chime in….must’ve beem @ GM cleaning Paul’s new office!!!! LOL
Stinger 2
May 3rd, 2011
5:48 pm
Let the guy alone. He can do what he wants to do. It is his life.
No fan should make his personal dicisions for him.
confusajacket
May 3rd, 2011
5:49 pm
Just another in a long line of idiots that think they are ready. One good game in college won’t go far in the NBA. How many times do we have to see this before these kids get the message. If you don’t consistently dominate on the college level, you won’t make it in the NBA.
Andy
May 3rd, 2011
5:54 pm
Haha, when I read this I thought “what an idiot.” Only took one comment to find someone who agreed.
CPJacket
May 3rd, 2011
6:04 pm
Sorry to see this and wish Iman the best of luck, but he really needed to stay one more year. I think Coach Gregory would have made him more NBA ready and he could have had an ACC player of the year type season. He will most likely go undrafted and will take a while to develop before he can contribute in the NBA. He has a streaky jump shot, but his defense is solid as he led the ACC in steals last season. I wish him luck, like I wished Gani Lawal last year, but both players would have benefitted greatly from another year in school.
I think he is leaving because he realized the culture will be much different for GT BBALL next season. I believe he worked hard, but Hewitt knew he was the best player and gave him too many iso plays (more NBA style). Now Coach BG comes in and preaches more of a team game and more discipline on both ends of the floor. Iman doesn’t like it and he’s tired of school. He gets a tip that he will likely get drafted in the second round, and he’s gone. It kind of reminds me of the same situation with Jerrard Tarrant and Nick Claytor. Two guys who didn’t want to stay in school and got bad tips about draft info.
blazer
May 3rd, 2011
6:08 pm
Dion Glover move or an Anthony Morrow move-meaning Morrow learn to shoot in the Pro’s
not under Hewitt!! Glover left early and last what- 3 yrs??
sandysprings jacket
May 3rd, 2011
6:12 pm
So you think he should stay in school and be an engineer? He is a good young man and he will make a good living playing BB. If he stays maybe he goes higher maybe not. If he does not make the league, he will make a lot of $$ in Europe or overseas. THis kid is a basketball pro, why stay longer. He is a smart guy and can come back to get his degree when he is ready. I wish he would stay, love watching him, but i don’t blame him for grabbing the doe. He is not Crit, who was one and really done, he played 3 years and i think eventually will be very successful as a BB. We will miss him big time!
willie
May 3rd, 2011
6:12 pm
He would not have stayed in the draft unless he got some assurance that he would be drafted. I’m a GT fan but how could you expect him to come back to this mess. I think he will be find in the pros because he can create his own shot. Good luck to him.
sandysprings jacket
May 3rd, 2011
6:14 pm
Hey Hewitt Fan, go to the George Mason blog and kiss Paully’s butt over there.
Rabun Dawg
May 3rd, 2011
6:22 pm
I think he would have benefitted by coming back for another year, but all of these kids think they will be the next Michael Jordan. I wish him well,but I think he and Travis Leslie will both wind up in Europe
,sooner than later. SSJ, agree with your comments to HF!! Good call!!
GT
May 3rd, 2011
6:24 pm
I’m not going to call it dumb, but I hope is happy playing in the D-League or overseas.
Team Dream
May 3rd, 2011
6:28 pm
Step 1 = Coach teaches fundamentals to create more well-rounded players.
Step 2 = More well-rounded players achieve more success by learning to play TOGETHER and by going deep into tournaments (Conference and NCAA).
Step 3 = going deeper into tournaments gets more attention from NBA scouts, analysts and media.
Step 4 = more attention from NBA scouts, analysts and media raises individual players’ NBA draft stock.
This is what GT needs and this is what the players need to be willing to work for.
louisville slugger
May 3rd, 2011
6:28 pm
I’d call it short-sighted at best. He is by no means ready, even the NBA guys are saying that. Too bad, but the kid has to make his own decisions.
football_365
May 3rd, 2011
6:38 pm
why are you guys taking this news so hard its a win win situation right if he gets drafted he will be a millionaire. If he doesnt get drafted he could use his awesome eng. degree he got from tech. As much as you guys brag about your academics you should feel confident that he will become a hot shot engineer along with nesbitt, tarrant and claytor
Outside Observer
May 3rd, 2011
6:58 pm
How does Hewitt fan sleep at night? Does he really think he has a valid opinion? He has already decided that Brian Gregory will fail at Tech without even coaching a single game. We know Hewitt failed at Tech. There is a whole body of evidence for that. Let Gregory coach a few years then start to form an opinion.
For Iman, best of luck in the NBA. You gave us three good years and it has been a pleasure watching you. I don’t agree with your decision, but I will support you every time you strap on that basketball shoe. Luckily for you, with your great defense, there will be a spot for you in the NBA. Guys like Mario West and Damien Wilkins earned spots for their lockdown defense and effort every time they stepped on the court. You won’t be a first round pick and you will have to earn your spot. But after watching you for the last three years, I have confidence you can get there. Good luck and best wishes.
Tech's Shumpert stays in the draft but might not get drafted | Mark Bradley
May 3rd, 2011
7:00 pm
[...] Iman Shumpert and I like the way he plays. But I think he’s making a mistake. By choosing to stay in this NBA draft, he has left himself open to the possibility of not being [...]
Outside Observer
May 3rd, 2011
7:21 pm
Also, to Iman, or Uncle Tony, or anyone else who reads this, while the name-calling is unnecessary, take the frustration as a weird compliment. If you left for the NBA and no one was disappointed, then you have something to worry about. But you left after providing fans a lot of great moments and you have definitely earned your spot in the Georgia Tech record books.Obviously the sentiment is everyone wanted you back. But I guarantee that everytime you step on the court and they recognize you as a member of Georgia Tech, every fan with grin a bit knowing they were able to witness your time here at Tech.
RambleOn84
May 3rd, 2011
9:13 pm
I wish him the best and I sincerely hope I’m wrong, but from where I’m standing this is a really dumb move.
Was he about to flunk out? That’s the only way this move makes any sense at all.
Good luck Iman. I hope you make the best of all your opportunities in the future.
Bill
May 3rd, 2011
9:15 pm
Hey Iman, I think you should have stayed in school. Sincerely, Javaris Crittendon.
Bill
May 3rd, 2011
9:16 pm
Unfortunately for Iman, that’s probably the last time his name will be in headlines regarding basketball.
George Stein
May 3rd, 2011
9:18 pm
I can’t blame him for chasing his dream. I hope it works out.
GT GRAD
May 3rd, 2011
10:05 pm
Shumpert will regret this decision…………he is making a mistake.
I truly wish him well in the NBA, but I am shocked he has decided to leave now. He would have a MUCH better chance of success in the NBA if he returned for his senior season. He would more than likely prove he warrants a 1st round pick if he stayed at GT and played up to his potential. I assumed it was blatantly obvious that he would eventually decide to stay for his senior year and I fully expected him to flourish with the changes Coach Gregory is about to install into the GT program……..he would more than likely have been an All-American next season. Does he even realize he is essentially giving up any chance for a HUGE amount of gauranteed money (first round NBA pick type of money)???? Wow!
GTfan
May 3rd, 2011
10:39 pm
Good luck kid…Wish you would reconsider. Hope you don’t regret it.
james
May 4th, 2011
12:05 am
I’m glad he’s leaving Tech I didn’t like him at Tech anyway he wasn’t a big help on the team they need to start rebuilding with coach gregory and be done with all those players hewitt brought in,
The Anti-BuzzDraft
May 4th, 2011
1:21 am
Typical “GT Fan” reaction, love them when they’re on the team, call them a “SuperFreak” then hate them when they enter the draft. I look forward to reading these “culture change” posts. Looks like this is the new talking point for 2011.
5150 UOAD
May 4th, 2011
1:55 am
HEWITT FAN your WALK AWAY Daddy STAYED in a little too long too. You have to KNOW when to PULLOUT before IT COST you way more than STAYING IN is worth. You waste a lot of time typing and using your fingers for no good. Why don’t you put all that finger tapping to better use playing your skin flute? You have said the same thing for 8 months and you are a NOBODY with no POWER. Go SNIFF some ATL Celtic jocks or something. Is your GOD leader of the Atl Celtics going to get that BIG TIME COLLEGE COACHING JOB on the LEFT COAST? I am still waiting on the announcement. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH
Georgia Tech will have to rebuild without star Iman Shumpert | Popular Events
May 4th, 2011
2:34 am
[...] absence of Shumpert is a blow to a Georgia Tech team looking to rebound from a 13-18 season that cost longtime coach Paul Hewitt his [...]
Chuck Allison
May 4th, 2011
6:03 am
When a fan expresses disappointment that a player decides to renige on his commitment, exercise his own greed, and leave school before graduating to enter the pro draft, then don’t call the alumni greedy for expressing their disappointment in the young man’s character. Things are what they are. Too many of Hewitt’s recruits look at life with only dollar marks in their eyes.
My Thoughts
May 4th, 2011
8:06 am
Wow. Sounds like a bad move. Surprising.
Johny Hammersticks
May 4th, 2011
8:26 am
Who is Iman Shumpert??? I think I remember him being a star recruit, but don’t recall him doing anything noteworthy on the court
GDBurdell
May 4th, 2011
12:51 pm
tek fans are the worst. hating all over this guy for trying to pursue his dream, I guess that is just how people who have never ever had any fun or friends respond to this sort of thing.
Seriously worst case, WORST CASE this guy plays pro ball in europe or canada or wherever, how is that worse than your soul killing cubicle job?
I say right on and watch this guy get picked up by the NBA
GDBurdell
May 4th, 2011
12:56 pm
Chuck Allison:
“When a fan expresses disappointment that a player decides to renige on his commitment, exercise his own greed, and leave school before graduating to enter the pro draft, then don’t call the alumni greedy for expressing their disappointment in the young man’s character. Things are what they are. Too many of Hewitt’s recruits look at life with only dollar marks in their eyes.”
First of all, Shumpert owes tek “fans” absolutely nothing. In fact, if he wants to pursue the draft then it really isn’t any of your business in the first place.
Furthermore, commitment? character? Where does that leave that idiot coach who just left? Doesn’t the admin have any kind of responsibility to the players to provide legit coaching and instruction? I would have left too.
EKT
May 5th, 2011
8:00 am
Iman should have stayed.