Well, we all knew it was coming eventually. Joe Alexander will test the NBA waters and declare for the draft but don’t panic Mountaineer Nation. According to Foxsports.com he will not hire an agent and even said that “I am pretty sure I’ll be back”. So for the next 3 weeks we will nervously await whether indeed if Alexander will be back to Motown for his senior season or not.

The way it works for underclassman such as Alexander when testing NBA waters is this. Alexander will apply for the NBA Draft to see possibly where his draft status will be from various general managers and owners. He would then receive a status update to see where he stands and what he needs to do to improve his
draft positioning. He would have to pay on his own to workout for various NBA teams which would be difficult in some cases.

What will put us at ease the most is that according to NBADraft.net he is projected to NOT be drafted in the 1st or 2nd round so anything short of a lights-out workout wouldn’t improve his draft stock as much (maybe as a 2nd round pick which is not what he’s shooting for). Furthermore, according to that same site, he is stated to be picked 7th.

We certainly wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors with the NBA but at the same time it is to his benefit to stay for his senior season to work on his ever-improving game and possibly lead the Eers to that elusive national championship.

In other WVU basketball news

• We at wvmountaineersports.com would like to congratulate Yinka Sanni for being selected by the Detroit Shock as the 18th overall pick in the 2nd round of the WNBA Draft. Sanni, in her senior season, averaged 16.2 points to go along with 7.1 rebounds a game as well as a solid 58.8% from the field. In an ironic twist of fate, coach Bill Laimbeer drafted Alexis Hornbuckle as the 4th overall pick. The Tennessee Volunteer star is of course a South Charleston native who lead the Vols to a victory over the Mountaineers last November at the Charleston Civic Center.
• This weekend former Indiana commit Devin Ebanks is coming to the campus of West Virginia University. This is huge since next Wednesday, April 16th, will be the beginning of the late signing period for recruits to sign up for NCAA basketball this coming season. In brief, he is a 6-8 185 small forward who hails originally from Brooklyn. In his senior season he played prep ball at St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Connecticut. He is a 5-star who is rated the 2nd best small forward prospect and 13th overall according to Rivals. He was also a Jordan Brand All-American as well. He’s also set to visit Texas, Rutgers, and Memphis before making his final decision by late May (close to the end of the signing period). Please give him a hearty welcome to Motown this weekend (that means you hottie co-eds) and show them that WVU is the place to be.
• Finally the West Virginia Mountaineers men’s basketball team finished the season ranked 17th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll thanks in large part to their Sweet 16 appearance. Despite a disappointing finish the WVU women’s team finished 20th in their coaches poll.

Well done to both! As for the men’s team here’s hoping Ebanks’s commitment will catapult the Eers into a Top 10 for all next year if not better. GOOOOOOOOOOO MOUNTAINEERS!