From the time Georgia Tech forward Moses Wright declared his intent to enter the NBA draft, the possibility of him deciding to withdraw and come back for his second senior season was remote.
It’s no longer merely a strong likelihood that he’ll stay in the draft, but a certainty, according to Tech coach Josh Pastner.
“He’s all in,” Pastner told the AJC on Friday night. “Moses is going to stay in the draft.”
Pastner said that Wright called Wednesday to tell him of his decision. It was a call that Pastner had been expecting from Wright, Tech’s first ACC player of the year since 1990.
“I wanted him to have an opportunity to realize his dream, so I’m excited for him,” Pastner said. “We’re going to help him as much as he can. But there was no surprise on this.”
Pastner said in late April that he was planning for Wright to stay in the draft, but acknowledged that the door was still open for him to come back. He joked that Wright would have a good chance to get his starting job back if he were to return.
In a May 5 interview with the AJC, Wright said that he would be open to coming back and using his extra season of eligibility if the feedback he received from NBA teams indicated he wasn’t going to get drafted. But Wright, who signed with an agency (Octagon), is unquestionably moving forward. Pastner has said that he is confident that Wright will be selected with one of the 60 picks.
This also makes it a certainty that Tech’s chances of returning to the NCAA Tournament will be more difficult. Without Wright, Pastner’s most experienced post player is forward Rodney Howard, who played 145 minutes for the Jackets this past season. Pastner has been hoping to land an experienced post player out of the transfer portal, but thus far has been unsuccessful.
As for Wright’s two Yellow Jackets teammates who also are pursuing the NBA, not much has changed with guards Jose Alvarado and Michael Devoe. Pastner said that Alvarado is “going all in to be in the NBA draft,” but hasn’t made a final stay/go decision.
“I think a lot’s going on to depend on once he starts doing workouts and what feedback he gets,” Pastner said.
As for whether his decision would be based on whether he gets drafted, Pastner said that “it’s not that black and white.”
Likewise, Devoe hasn’t informed Pastner of a decision.
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