Yale men’s basketball won its first NCAA tournament game ever this season, but lost to Duke in the round of 32. Yale’s sophomore point guard Makai Mason has declared for the NBA draft, reports Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel:
Yale PG Makai Mason (16 ppg) plans to declare for NBA draft, his dad tells @SInow. New rule allows players to test waters and return.
— Pete Thamel (@SIPeteThamel) March 21, 2016
So, yeah. That about sums it up. Mason is good, but probably not NBA-level good. He’s likely just doing this to have scouts evaluate him so that he can see where he stands, and still be able to return to Yale next season.
Mason’s father, Dan, echoed this:
Dan Mason on Makai's decision: "We want to take advantage of that new rule, show people beyond the Ivy League what he's capable of."
— Pete Thamel (@SIPeteThamel) March 21, 2016
This season for Yale, Mason averaged 16 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per game while shooting 42.7% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc.
Mason scored a career-high 31 points in the team’s upset win over Baylor in the first round.
