Hawkeye basketball forward Tyler Cook announced on March 9 that he will declare for this year’s NBA Draft.
“I am following God’s plan and I am thankful for this opportunity. I appreciate all of the support that I continue to receive from Hawkeye Nation,” Cook said in his Instagram post.
Cook averaged 15.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.75 assists per game this past season, leading the team in scoring and rebounding. The St. Louis native also recorded seven double-doubles, six of which came in the Hawkeyes’ final 15 games this year.
“Tyler should take advantage of this opportunity, and we fully support his decision,” Hawkeye head coach Fran McCaffery said via Hawkeye Sports. “I have spoken with Tyler and his family in depth and believe this is the right decision. This relatively new rule is a positive one for those in pursuit of their professional dreams. Peter Jok went through it in 2016 and found it to be beneficial as it allows athletes to gather information through workouts and interviews from NBA personnel. We will assist Tyler every way we can throughout this process.”
Cook added in his announcement that he will not hire an agent, meaning that if for some reason he wishes to return to the program, he could (hiring an agent would make him ineligible to return to college basketball).
The NBA Draft will be held on June 21. If he chooses to take his name out of the draft pool for whatever reason, he must do so by June 11.