Mizzou’s Kobe Brown set to stay in NBA Draft; will not return to MU
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Mizzou hoops standout Kobe Brown has officially played his final game in a Tiger uniform. The 23-year-old announced that he will stay in the NBA Draft in a social media post on Wednesday.
In that social media post Brown said, "I couldn't be happier to call Mizzou home, but with that being said, it's time for me to chase my dreams. I'll be staying in the NBA Draft. MIZ."
The deadline for players to decide whether or not they would be moving forward in the Draft process was at 10:59 p.m. CT on Wednesday. Brown made his announcement 5:50 p.m.
Brown first declared for the NBA Draft on April 22, while maintaining his one year of college eligibility. He earned an invite to the NBA Combine in May, as well. National projections pick him to get drafted in the second round.
The 6-foot-8 forward spent all four of his college years in Columbia, through coaching changes and all. His best season was his final one, in the Dennis Gates debut year. Brown averaged about 15 points per game on 55 percent shooting from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range.
The Alabama-native left Mizzou in a better spot than he found it. In his senior season, he helped lift the Tigers to a 25-10 record, which more than doubled the win total from the season before. The group ended up fourth in the SEC, after being picked to finish near the bottom. MU even moved on to the program's first SEC Tournament semifinal game in program history and won its first NCAA Tournament game since 2010.
Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates will have quite the task ahead of him of replacing the team's leading scorers, as Brown, D'Moi Hodge and DeAndre Gholston have all graduated and moved on. Gates will return some veterans in Nick Honor, Noah Carter and others.
