Missouri's Tilmon, Pinson, Smith to test NBA draft waters

Missouri's Jeremiah Tilmon dribbles around Southern Illinois' Barret Benson during the second half of a game last season at Mizzou Arena.
Missouri's Jeremiah Tilmon dribbles around Southern Illinois' Barret Benson during the second half of a game last season at Mizzou Arena.

COLUMBIA - Missouri forwards Jeremiah Tilmon and Mitchell Smith and point guard Xavier Pinson will all explore their potential future in the NBA in the coming weeks while retaining their college eligibility, the Missouri men's basketball team announced Tuesday in a press release.

The NCAA and NBA changed their draft eligibility rules in 2016, allowing a gray area between declaring to go pro and returning to college, and changed the rules again last year, allowing college players to be represented by NCAA-certified agents without forfeiting amateur status in the eyes of the NCAA.

Tilmon went through the process last year before making the decision to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft pool. This year's deadline is June 3. The draft combine is scheduled to take place May 21-24 in Chicago, and the draft is scheduled to be held June 25 at the Barclays Center in New York, but both could change due to the ongoing effects of the coronavirus.

This process provides a free evaluation to college players, who get likely draft grades - lottery pick, first round, second round or undrafted - after workouts and evaluations without having to pay for related travel, lodging or meals. Those are paid for by agents.

"I'm very supportive of all three of them going through this to receive key information from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee and greatly benefit from the process," Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said in the press release. "I know they each have goals to pursue professional basketball at the highest levels and this is a significant step in that journey. We'll help them in any way we can."

ESPN and multiple other outlets have reported the number of certified agents who went through the certification process is lower than usual, and "only 24 agents elected to do so, many of whom do not currently represent an NBA player," according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony.

The high number of draft entrants - more than 150 as of Tuesday afternoon - along with the NCAA's decision not to grant winter sports athletes a blanket year of eligibility, as it did with spring sports athletes, puts many players in a tough position.

Tilmon (junior), Smith (redshirt junior) and Pinson (sophomore) all have at least one year of eligibility remaining.

Tilmon, in a season shortened by a left foot stress fracture, averaged 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds and led the team in blocks with 21 in 17 games.

Smith put together his best season so far, averaging 5.1 points and a team-high 4.9 rebounds per game. He shot 36.8 percent on 3s and 83.8 percent at the foul line in SEC play, and scored in double figures eight times in 30 games after never reaching that mark in 2017, when his freshman season was cut short by a torn ACL, or in 2019, his first year back.

Pinson's explosive scoring brought an energy back to Tiger home games, particularly following his Feb. 1 insertion into the starting lineup alongside Dru Smith. He averaged 11.1 points per game on the season but 17.3 per game in the final 11 games of the regular season, including 24 against Arkansas, 28 against Auburn and 32 against Mississippi in a four-game stretch.

III

The Southeastern Conference announced Tuesday it was canceling its 2020 spring meetings, to be held the final weekend of May in Destin, Fla., because of the coronavirus. The annual meetings bring football and men's and women's basketball coaches, athletic directors, university presidents and chancellors, student-athletes and others together to discuss particulars of SEC athletic competition.

The meetings also give awards for Scholar Athletes and Community Service Leaders of the Year, as well as the SEC Professor of the Year.

"We are currently exploring ways to conduct as many of the planned meetings in an alternate format and time," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement Tuesday. "We will be intentional to celebrate all of the remarkable individuals who would otherwise have been honored at our annual SEC Awards Dinner."