Stanford freshman Ebuka Okorie declares for the NBA draft after leading the ACC in scoring

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STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Stanford star guard Ebuka Okorie will enter the NBA draft after leading the ACC in scoring as a freshman.

Okorie developed from an under-the-radar recruit out of New Hampshire into one of the top freshmen in the country in his one season with the Cardinal under coach Kyle Smith.

Okorie thanked Smith and the coaching staff on Thursday in his announcement on social media to enter the draft.

“A year ago you guys took a chance on a kid from New Hampshire with zero high major offers, welcoming me with open arms and allowing me to be the best version of myself on and off the court,” Okorie said.

Okorie made a major impact right from the start, scoring 26 points in his debut against Portland State, setting a Stanford freshman record with 36 points in an upset win over North Carolina in January and scoring 40 points in a home win over Georgia Tech.

Okorie finished eighth in the country in scoring at 23.2 points per game with the only freshmen ahead of him being projected lottery picks AJ Dybantsa of BYU and Darius Acuff Jr. of Arkansas. His eight games on the season with at least 30 points broke the freshman record in the ACC set by Duke’s Marvin Bagley III.

Okorie excelled at getting to the basket with penetration and drawing fouls. His outside shot also improved all season and he shot 46.9% from 3-point range in his final 12 games. He is projected to be a late first-round pick.

Okorie's 719 points scored in his lone season at Stanford are the third most ever for a Cardinal player in a season, trailing only Adam Keefe's 734 in 1991-92 and Chasson Randle's 724 in 2014-15.

Okorie was a first-team all-ACC pick and was an honorable AP All-American, averaging 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The last time any player hit the per game marks Okorie had in points, rebounds, assists and steals came in 2018-19 when Ja Morant of Murray State and Jermaine Marrow of Hampton did it.

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