Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
By ADAM ZAGORIA
UConn sophomore guard James Bouknight has declared for the NBA Draft, he announced Wednesday.
The 6-foot-5 Brooklyn native and product of the PSA Cardinals AAU program is projected as the No. 18 “Best Available” player in the draft, per ESPN.com.
Bouknight averaged 18.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for a UConn team that finished 15-8 and reached the NCAA Tournament. He poured in 40 points in one game.
“Just coming into UConn when I first committed, Coach Hurley had a vision for me helping to turn the program around and bring it back as a winning program,” Bouknight told ESPN. “We reached that target. We were successful, although we didn’t make the run we wanted to make in the tournament.
“The opportunity to play at the highest level of basketball has always been a dream of mine, and it’s an opportunity that I can’t pass up right now. I feel like the pro game, with more open space on the floor, is ideal for my game.”
The NBA Draft Lottery is set for June 22 and the Draft is July 29.
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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
