On May 6th, sophomore guard Mark Armstrong announced he would remain in the NBA Draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility. The decision comes after Armstrong declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility on April 10th.
Armstrong will now go through the pre-draft process.
This process often means players will participate in the NBA Draft combine.
Following the combine, players will work out for NBA teams and participate in open runs with other draft prospects across the country.
The NBA invited 78 prospects to the combine but Armstrong was not one of them. Instead he received an invite to the G League Elite Camp, which is an alternative to the combine.
Originally recruited by former head coach and Naismith Hall of Famer Jay Wright, Armstrong emerged as one of head coach Kyle Neptune’s most important players over his two years with the Wildcats.
Despite the team missing back to back NCAA tournaments, Armstrong showed flashes of stardom.
A go-ahead basket in an overtime win vs UNC and spin moves against Maryland and Marquette are just two of the countless moments where Armstrong has shown his potential.
For two years Armstrong was the Wildcats’ primary ball handler. His athleticism, dribbling and shooting have made him dangerous on offense as he can score himself or get his teammates involved.
In his freshman season, the South Orange, New Jersey native averaged 19.9 minutes, 5.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He appeared in all 34 games played.
This past year, Armstrong led the team in assists with 2.4 per game and averaged 6.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. Armstrong also started 32 of 34 games.
Armstrong’s career high in points came in an 87-74 loss to Marquette on Jan 15th when he dropped 24 points, including five three pointers. His career high in assists came a month later when he recorded six in a 75-47 win over Georgetown on February 27th.
Armstrong’s departure means junior guard Jordan Longino, junior forward Nnanna Njoku, redshirt freshman Jordann Dumont and junior guard Collin O’Toole are the only returning players from the 2023-2024 roster.
Meanwhile, Penn freshman guard Tyler Perkins, La Salle senior guard Jhamir Brickus and VCU senior guard Max Shulga will be joining the Wildcats through the transfer portal.
