April 08--After one rocky, up-and-down season at Kansas, former Curie standout Cliff Alexander will declare for the NBA Draft, according to Jayhawks coach Bill Self.
Alexander, a 6-foot-9 forward, led Curie to the Public League Playoff title game in 2014, but his road to the NBA has been a bit bumpy since that February night. Curie topped Young and Jahlil Okafor in four overtimes, but a CPS investigation later found that seven players were academically ineligible. Alexander was not among the players in question.
Curie was stripped of its first city title, forfeited all of its wins, then lost to DuSable in a stunning regional semifinal contest.
A year ago, Alexander was a projected top-five pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Now, he's more likely to go late in the first round, or perhaps the second, according to DraftExpress.com.
His Kansas career never lived up to incredibly high expectations, as he averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in about 17 minutes per game. His raw athletic ability that helped him rise to high school stardom did not translate to immediate success at the college level.
He did not play in the Jayhawks' final eight games after he came under NCAA investigation related to his mother's connection to a loan firm. In August, Latillia Alexander filed for a loan from Florida-based Ludus Capital, which has been known to give loans to football and basketball players likely to be selected in the first round. Once players have finished their collegiate careers, such a loan becomes permissible. But in August, Alexander had not played one college game.
Fellow Kansas forward Kelly Oubre Jr. also has declared for the draft.
Alexnader was the runner-up to Okafor in the 2014 Mr. Basketball of Illinois voting. Okafor likely will be a top-two pick in the NBA Draft after helping Duke to the NCAA title Monday.
