Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu declares for NBA Draft

Illinois All-American Ayo Dosunmu has declared for the NBA Draft and will hire an agent. The junior made the announcement Tuesday on ESPN.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid,” Dosunmu told ESPN.

Dosunmu, who won the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s best point guard, will be considered one of the top guards in this year’s draft. He is listed at No. 22 in the ESPN 100 ranking of NBA prospects and averaged 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 39% from 3-point range, taking Illinois to the Big Ten Conference tournament championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Illini were upset in the NCAA by Loyola. “I definitely feel like I let my team down today,” Dosunmu said then, “but I can take it. I can take the criticism.”

“His jersey will hang in our rafters someday,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said of Dosunmu after the Illini’s loss to the Ramblers.