FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas center Moses Kingsley has announced that he will go through NBA Draft workouts without signing an agent.
Kingsley averaged 15.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and blocked 76 shots as a junior. He was named second-team all-SEC by the league coaches and media.
Arkansas coach Mike Anderson indicated Monday that Kingsley was likely to announce for the draft this week. By entering the draft without an agent, Kingsley could return to the Razorbacks for his senior season.
Kingsley declined comment following a postseason banquet Monday when he and senior guard Anthlon Bell were named co-MVPs for the Razorbacks. He announced his intention Tuesday in a press release issued by the team.
“I feel that getting an evaluation on myself after my junior year is the right thing to do while still keeping eligibility to play for my Hogs," Kingsley said in a statement Tuesday. "I can't wait to see what God has for me in the future.”
A new rule allows college underclassmen more time to gather feedback from NBA scouts following the combine. The NBA draft combine runs from May 11-15 in Chicago. Players that have not signed with agents have until 10 days after the combine to announce their return to college.
"If I'm in that position and I had a season like he just had, I want some feedback," Anderson said. "It gives him an opportunity to test the waters and an opportunity to go against some of the better players in the country to see where he is."
Anderson and assistant coach Matt Zimmerman both indicated they expect Kingsley to return next season.
"I think he will go in with his eyes open, knowing there are some things that he has to continue to work on," Anderson said. "Most importantly, it gives him some feedback."
Whitt absent, Jenkins present
Jimmy Whitt, who announced last month that he would transfer, was not at Monday's banquet. Lorenzo Jenkins, who announced his plans to transfer earlier Monday, was in attendance.
Whitt's name was not listed in the season roster given to patrons and he was not featured in any of the team's video highlights. Whitt was one of the faces of the program during the preseason, appearing in promotional materials such as schedule magnets.
Whitt played in all 32 games as a freshman and averaged 6.1 points.
Scholarships
Anderson said he has not decided how he will fill the two scholarships that have come open as a result of the off-season transfers.
He said Arkansas may sign one additional player during the spring period and save one scholarship for the class of 2017. The Razorbacks may also fill one of the scholarships with a transfer.
Asked what position he hoped to address in the spring, Anderson was noncommittal.
"It could be maybe a 6-foot-6 kind of guy, 6-foot-7 kind of guy," Anderson said. "It could be a big guy and it could be a guard. We're involved with a lot of kind of kids and we're going to use it wisely.
"It just depends as we recruit young men and get kids on our campus, who we bring in and what takes place."
Award winners
In addition to MVPs Bell and Kingsley, several players were recognized during the nearly two-hour banquet.
Among the other notable award winners were Bell and Dusty Hannahs for hardest workers, Kingsley for defense and academic excellence, and Keaton Mies for community service.
Jabril Durham was awarded a plaque for his 204 assists, which ranked fourth in program history for a single season. Anderson was presented a game ball from athletics director Jeff Long to commemorate his 300th career win and 100th win at Arkansas.