AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn sophomore center Austin Wiley has put his name into the NBA Draft pool. He does not intend to hire an agent, thus maintaining his eligibility to return to The Plains for the remainder of his collegiate career.
“First off, I would like to thank God, my family, my teammates, my coaches and everybody that has helped me get to this moment,” Wiley said. “Being in the NBA has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. Lastly, I would like to thank the Auburn family for all of the support.”
“In spite of all that we went through this season, Austin is still in a great position to accomplish all of his goals,” head coach Bruce Pearl said. “I think as much as any player in the country who is testing the waters, Austin has the greatest chance to move up in the draft. He’s in great physical condition and has worked extremely hard. He will be impressive at the Combine.”
Despite sitting out the 2017-18 season, Wiley showed his dominance on the international level when he was named the team captain of the 2017 USA U19 World Cup team.
While playing in the FIBA World Cup in Cairo, Egypt last summer, Wiley was the only American and one of just seven players to average a double-double in the tournament with 10.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game as the United States took home the bronze medal.
During his freshman campaign, Wiley averaged 8.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 23 games. He joined the Tigers in the middle of the season and was selected as the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week Jan. 23 after averaging 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in wins against Alabama and LSU.
He became the second consensus 5-star signee in program history, joining Mustapha Heron, after finishing his high school career at Calusa Prep. During the summer of 2016, he was a gold medal winner for Team USA in the FIBA Men’s U17 World Championship in Zaragoza, Spain.
Auburn captured its third SEC title this past season with an overall mark of 26-8, including 13-5 in league play. The Tigers were also selected for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003.
