Utah center Jakob Poeltl was likely to be a first-round pick if he declared for the NBA draft, but the 7-footer instead decided to put off a pro career for at least another year. Poeltl announced he's returning to school for the Utes on Monday morning. He'll be expected to be one of the premier big men in the country next season.
Jakob Poeltl is returning to Utah for his sophomore season
The center will be among the best returning players in the country.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Poeltl arrived at Utah as something of an unknown from Austria a year ago, but quickly worked his way into the starting lineup. He was impressive in Utah's season-ending defeat to Duke in the Elite Eight, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds but also holding projected top pick Jahlil Okafor to just six points and eight rebounds.
On the season, the 235-pound center averaged 9.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He was ranked the No. 11 draft-eligiible prospect in the country by Draft Express. He’s likely to be considered a preseason top 10 draft pick in 2016.
Utah loses star guard Delon Wright but will have a solid core coming back around Poeltl. Brandon Taylor, Jordan Loveridge and Dakarai Tucker will all be seniors, while forward Brekkott Chapman could break out as a sophomore.
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