Bradley Beal returned to St. Louis over the weekend, but according to a close source, remains torn about whether to return to UF or enter the NBA draft.
The source said that the standout Florida freshman guard is discussing the option to hold off his choice until April 29, which is the NBA’s deadline for underclassmen to put their names in for the NBA draft.
The NCAA set its own deadline for April 10, but it’s not a hard and fast deadline. It was designed to let college basketball coaches know if they needed to fill scholarships for the spring signing period, which starts April 11. A player who hasn’t put his name in by April 11 can still do so before April 29. A good story explaining the dueling deadlines
can be found here.
What does this mean for Florida? With Erving Walker the lone senior leaving and the Gators adding three signess for its 2012 class, Florida is currently at its full allotment of 13 scholarships. That number would reduce by one if Beal declares for the NBA draft.
If Beal declares before April 11, it would free up a scholarship for a big man, such as undecided five-star 2012 recruit Anthony Bennett. Bennett, a Toronto native, has Florida in his final five with Kentucky, UNLV, Oregon and Washington.
A number of underclassmen have already declared for the NBA draft, such as Ohio State sophomore big man Jared Sullinger, Michigan freshman point guard Trey Burke, North Carolina sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall, UNC sophomore forward Harrison Barnes and UNC junior forward John Henson.
