[caption id="attachment_14525" align="aligncenter" width="838"]
© Joey Khan Photography[/caption]
Seton Hall’s Isaiah Whitehead has announced that he is staying in the NBA draft.
Instead of returning to South Orange, Whitehead tweeted Tuesday night that he has decided to go pro. He has hired agent Andy Miller of ASM Sports, according to Zach Braziller of the New York Post.
"Seton Hall has been a blessing to me and my family," Whitehead tweeted. "As hard as it is I decided to turn pro and live my dream. Thanks for everything."
Wednesday was the deadline for athletes to choose whether to stay in the draft or go back to school. Whitehead had previously said that he planned to make his final decision with both his mother and his head coach at Seton Hall, Kevin Willard.
After two years in blue and white, the decision was made that Whitehead is ready for the NBA.
“I am so proud of what Isaiah has accomplished,” Willard said in a press release. “There wasn’t a harder working young man who has done more to achieve his dream of playing in the NBA, and he now has a chance to see that dream come true. It has been an absolute pleasure coaching him for two years; he came here to help Seton Hall return to national prominence and the NCAA Tournament, and with the time he put in towards getting better, he did exactly that. Now he will be an ambassador for our great university at professional basketball’s highest level.”
After two years with the Pirates, Whitehead took a moment to thank fans for their support on Twitter.
"Man I love Pirate Nation," he wrote. "They believed in me and my team when nobody did. Hard to say goodbye, but you guys are in great hands. Much love."
Whitehead said in the past that he would stay in the draft if promised a first round pick, but he also expressed that he just wanted a spot at all. It is unknown if Whitehead has a guarantee at the moment.
It will be decided where Whitehead, a Coney Island native, lands on June 23 in the NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Elizabeth Swinton can be reached by email at elizabeth.swinton@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @eswint22.
Comments
