Jerome Declares For NBA Draft
Posted on Monday, Apr. 15, 2019, 1:12 pm
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By Jerry Ratcliffe
Ty Jerome, UVA’s leading scorer against Louisville, participates in post-game net-cutting.
As expected, Virginia junior point guard Ty Jerome announced today that he will forgo his final season of eligibility with the Cavaliers and enter his name into the NBA draft. Jerome also said he will sign with an agent.
The New Rochelle, N.Y., native and a product of Iona Prep, is the first of the National Championship Cavaliers to announce the early entry into the professional ranks, but is not expected to be the last. Redshirt sophomore teammate De’Andre Hunter, a Philadelphia native, is also expected to announce his intentions to turn professional. Hunter is a projected lottery pick.
What remains in question is what junior guard Kyle Guy, “Most Outstanding Player” of the Final Four, might do. Will he jump to the NBA or return for a final season under Coach Tony Bennett?
Bennett said after Saturday’s national championship celebration that decisions will be made after all the information is gathered, meaning that players can ask for an evaluation of their chances of being drafted via a panel of NBA experts. Bennett has also been known to reach out to contacts in the NBA about a player’s potential chances.
The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NBA draft is April 21. Due to a new NCAA rule, players who do elect to declare early have until May 29 to withdraw from the draft and retain their college eligibility.
The new rule also allows players, such as Jerome, to hire an agent without forfeiting their college eligibility. In the past, any player hiring an agent could not return to college.
Jerome is the 94th college underclassman to declare for the 2019 NBA Draft, which will be held June 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Jerome finished UVA’s championship season with a 13.6 scoring average per game and posted 1,011 points in three seasons. He also finished third on the Cavaliers’ single-season assists list with 202.
Some NBA draft projections have the Cavalier guard going between No. 20 and No. 33, with CBS college basketball analyst Gary Parrish predicting a No. 24 selection by Denver.
The New Yorker is a tough (both physically and mentally) player that can play point or shooting guard. At 6-foot-5, he has the size. He also isn’t afraid of the big moment, often taking NBA-length 3-pointers (or beyond NBA range, i.e. at Syracuse late in the season). Jerome shot 43 percent from beyond the arc this season.
Jerome thanked Bennett and the entire staff of coaches, trainers, and fans upon his announcement via Instagram (See and listen to the entire announcement below), before saying, “I will forever be a Wahoo. Love UVA from the bottom of my heart.”
