Harvard Basketball

Harvard junior guard Bryce Aiken will enter the 2019 NBA draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility, the program announced on Thursday evening.

"I am excited for the opportunity to see where I stand in this process the NBA has created," Aiken said in the release. "My goal has always been to be a Harvard graduate and an NBA player." 

The 6-foot, 175-pound New Jersey native led the 19-12 Crimson in points per game (22.2) and assists per game (2.6) in 2018-19, which saw the team claim first in the Ivy League before falling to NC State in the second round of the NIT. 

Aiken was named a Lou Henson All-American, as one of the top mid-major players in the country, for the second season in a row on Thursday afternoon. 

The guard has battled knee injuries while at Harvard. He was limited to just 14 games in 2017-18 after injuring his knee on Feb. 2, 2018, in a loss to Columbia. His left knee required offseason surgery, and he played for the first time this season on Jan. 21.

Aiken's last game for the Crimson saw him play 36 minutes, score 19 points and show off NBA range:

He'll now try to become just the third ever Harvard player to play in the NBA, though 10 Harvard alumni have been selected in the NBA draft, according to the school.

The most prominent Harvard grad and the only Ivy League alum actively in the NBA is 30-year-old point guard Jeremy Lin, who went undrafted but went on to create "Linsanity" with the New York Knicks in 2011-12. Lin has played for seven franchises since entering the league in 2010 and is currently with the Toronto Raptors. 

If Aiken is displeased with his draft stock, he can withdraw his name from consideration and return to Harvard as long as he does so before May 29.

The NBA draft will take place on June 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.