4/12/2016 basketball Edit

V.J. Beachem Declares For NBA Draft

V.J. Beachem averaged 17.5 points in four NCAA tournament contests this postseason.

Jordan Wells • InsideNDSports

Staff

V.J. Beachem is the latest college basketball athlete to take advantage of new NCAA and NBA rules regarding testing professional waters.

The Irish junior forward announced through a school release on Tuesday that he's declared for the upcoming NBA Draft. However, Beachem will not hire an agent, retaining his eligibility for the 2016-17 season in the event he wants to come back to school.

“I really pushed for V.J. to take advantage of the new rules to get a better understanding of his future in professional basketball,” Irish head coach Mike Brey said in the Notre Dame release.

“He finished the season on an outstanding run, and the ability to go through this process will be another step forward in his confidence as a player and as a leader in our program. This can really set him up for a great finish to his college career or provide him the opportunity to play the game at its highest level.”

The NCAA changed their rules this year to allow student-athletes to keep their name in the NBA Draft until up to 10 days after the final day of the NBA Combine, which this year is May 25 (the combine ends May 15.)

This allows student-athletes like Beachem to go through the draft process, work out with teams, etc., while preserving their amateur status if they'd like to go back to school - as long as they don't take steps like hiring an agent.

“After our run in the tournament Coach Brey brought up the idea of entering my name in the NBA Draft process," Beachem said in Notre Dame's release. "And after talking with my family, I am excited about this opportunity.

“The process will allow me to push my development to another level and get a better idea of what the organizations in the NBA think of my abilities on the court at this point in my career.”

Beachem averaged 17.5 points per game in the NCAA Tournament, earning NCAA East Regional All-Tournament team honors. He was also named "Most Improved Player" at Notre Dame's postseason banquet on Monday night, after upping his scoring average from 6.3 points per game last season to 11.3 this year.