Syracuse Basketball: Elijah Hughes to enter the NBA Draft process

Syracuse basketball star Elijah Hughes revealed on Saturday that he will try to fulfill his childhood dream by entering the 2020 NBA Draft.

Syracuse basketball redshirt junior forward Elijah Hughes, one of the top performers in the Atlantic Coast Conference and across the country during the 2019-20 campaign, is going to test the NBA Draft waters.

Hughes announced via Twitter on Saturday night that he plans to enter the NBA Draft process, which is not a surprising move on his part. The bevy of Syracuse fanatics, myself included, figured that he would at least explore the draft process, while keeping the door open to return to the Hill for his final year of eligibility.

In his post on Twitter, Hughes thanked his family, close friends and teammates for supporting him throughout his basketball career. He also thanked the Syracuse community and fans for making him feel welcomed and comfortable.

Finally, Hughes personally thanked head coach Jim Boeheim for believing in him, and Hughes said that he will always bleed Orange.

"Evan Daniels, the director of recruiting for 247Sports, cited a source in tweeting that “Syracuse forward Elijah Hughes just declared for the NBA Draft. Hughes is planning to take the Draft process seriously, but leave the option open to returning to the team.”"

Hughes, in 2019-20, put forth one of the finest stanzas in recent Orange hoops memory. He started all 32 contests for a ‘Cuse squad that finished 18-14 after a blow-out win against North Carolina in the ACC Tournament, which amounted to the last game for Syracuse before the season got shut down due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

On the year, Hughes averaged 36.7 minutes per affair, to go along with an ACC-leading 19.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. He connected on 42.6 percent from the field, 81.3 percent from the charity stripe and 34.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Thankfully, Hughes received inclusion on the All-ACC first crew after getting snubbed by several national awards. Following his transfer from East Carolina, Hughes had a tremendous two-year run with Syracuse.

Assuming that he stays in the NBA Draft, the Orange is expected to have 10 scholarship players come this fall, when factoring in Hughes’ news, as well as several recent decisions by other guys to transfer. Best of luck, Elijah, you’re forever an admired and cherished member of the ‘Cuse family!