NORTHWEST NOTES: Saturday, April 16, 2016

| April 16, 2016 9:15 PM

Three Cougars

declare for NBA Draft

PULLMAN — Juniors Conor Clifford, Josh Hawkinson and Ike Iroegbu have each declared for the 2016 NBA Draft, the trio announced Friday.

None of the three will hire agents at this time, allowing them to withdraw from the draft process at any point prior to the May 25 NCAA deadline to return to school for their final seasons of collegiate eligibility.

“In today’s climate, with the opportunity for players to be evaluated and have the opportunity to be invited to the NBA Draft Combine without hiring an agent, I fully support the decision that Conor, Josh and Ike have made to declare for the NBA draft,” WSU coach Ernie Kent said.

Men’s basketball student-athletes are afforded the opportunity to put their name into the draft process, but maintain their collegiate eligibility as long as they don’t hire an agent. The NBA Draft Combine runs May 11-15, and players who have not hired agents have 10 days following the combine’s conclusion to make a final decision to return to school or remain in the draft. Declaring for the draft allows these three Cougars the chance to be invited to the combine and/or to private workouts for NBA teams and to receive feedback from NBA executives on those workouts.

Hawkinson, a 6-foot-10 forward, led the team in scoring and rebounding, while leading the Pac-12 and ranking 11th in the nation with 11.1 rebounds per game in 2015-16. His 9.5 defensive rebounds per game and 20 double-doubles each led the conference, ranking second in the league and 12th in the nation, respectively.

Iroegbu, a 6-2 guard, was the only Cougar to start all 31 games in 2015-16 and has started 61 of WSU’s 62 games over the last two seasons. He led WSU and ranked 11th in the Pac-12 and 225th in the nation with 3.6 assists per game as a junior in 2015-16.

In just one season with the Cougars, Clifford averaged 6.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, while shooting at a .640 (89 for 139) clip. Clifford’s field goal percentage ranks second all-time in WSU’s single-season record books. The 7-foot center also shot .825 (33 for 40) from the free throw line.

The last Cougar to be chosen in the NBA Draft was Klay Thompson, who went as the 11th overall pick in the 2011 draft to the Golden State Warriors.