Men's College Basketball

Jaden Ivey ascended to the top of the basketball world during his two-season stint at Purdue.

The 20-year-old is projected to be an early lottery selection in the 2022 NBA draft on Thursday. B/R's Jonathan Wasserman has the Sacramento Kings using the No. 4 pick on him.

A 4-star prospect coming out of La Lumiere High School in Indiana, Ivey was an All-Big Ten First Team and All-American Second Team selection as a sophomore in 2021-22.

Leading up to the draft, Ivey sat down with B/R for an AMA session to discuss a variety of topics, including which current player he models his game after, his all-time starting five and more.

The following is the transcript from the AMA session.

@BleacherReport Jaden so I understand you're here on behalf of Bose. Can you tell us more about your partnership with them and the importance of music to you?

I'm very excited for the opportunity to be with Team Bose. I think the biggest thing is I love music. Music gets me going. Music helps start my day. I like to listen to music a lot so to partner with them is a great thing for me.

@Haasdaboss Which NBA player do you think you model your game after?

Ja Morant and Russell Westbrook. Just the athleticism and speed that they play with, I kind of possess some of those skills on the court

@Kiran_Gamecock What is your all time starting five?

Michael Jordan, LeBron, Kobe, Kareem, Larry Bird

@Moko1 Is there a specific guy you're really looking forward to playing?

After watching the Finals, Steph Curry is definitely one of those guys I want to compete against. Obviously, top-5 PG of All-Time, Top-10 players of all-time

LeBron, having watched him all my life, as a young kid. He's given a lot of young kid(s) hope. LeBron is one of the guys I look up to. Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard as well.

@Not_DerwinJames Who was someone who gave you absolute nightmares trying to guard them during your time in CBB?

Johnny Davis. The performance he had against us at home was very tough

@DejounteMustard The most underrated part of your game is ____

My passing. I think it's a skill that I just started to really just show people I can do: I can pass the ball and I want to give my teammates the ball. I think that's a very underrated part of my game.

@OfficiallyPolo If you could dunk on one current or all-time player, who would it be?

I would say LeBron.

@Just_in_Time What does your playlist look like before games and do you have a go-to hype song you always need to listen to?

It's up to the artist that I like. I listen to a certain artists everyday, to help me through my day, or help me get in a great mode for the basketball game.

@Emand1988 Top 5 rappers?

NBA YoungBoy, Tupac, Kendrick Lamar, DMX, Lil Uzi Vert

@Mayer0816 Who was your inspiration to get into basketball? Did you guys ever hoop together whether it was pickup games or one on one?

My mother. Just watching her, all the success she's had. I've seen her success at a young age, it made me hungry. I want to have success of my own. She was one of the smartest. She wasn't the most athletic, but she was good enough to teach me things on the court, certain moves I can do to help me score the basketball. It's why she's a coach. She understands the game and is super smart.

@GeorgiaGoat What tips would you have for young ballers who aspire to be great?

The biggest thing is it's not going to be easy. Whether it's basketball or baseball or football, you're going to have obstacles to overcome and it's up to you to have the mindset to overcome them and the biggest thing is you got to work hard to accomplish your dreams.

@KingHedera As an Indiana resident, what is your favorite local restaurant chain?

I'm a big Soho guy. It's hibachi in South Bend. Growing up, I would go there all the time. I would say Pancake House is another one. I'm a big breakfast guy. Having a good breakfast is important to me and Pancake House is one of those restaurants I always went to.

@BayLegend I'm an incoming freshman. What's something to look forward to at Purdue?

Biggest thing is the people at Purdue. Everyone had a genuine heart, really cares for you and wanted you to succeed at whatever you're doing on campus.

@Blurshnersh Who is your favorite cartoon character?

I was a big Spongebob kid growing up

@Saddock21 Zebra cakes or cosmic brownies?

Definitely a Zebra Cake guy

@Coltssuperfan20 Would you be happy to get drafted by the Pacers?

I'm just really grateful. Whatever opportunity comes my way I'll be extremely grateful. If that opportunity comes my way, I would be definitely very happy coming from my upbringing. Being an Indiana kid, being in Indiana my whole life, so that would be amazing but whatever team drafts me I'll be ready and happy for the opportunity.

The North Carolina Tar Heels got a major boost to their title hopes for the 2022-23 season, landing former Northwestern forward Pete Nance in a transfer.

Nance had put his name into the NBA draft ring this offseason but ultimately withdrew, choosing to play one last season of college basketball.

The 22-year-old averaged 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 blocks last season, shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 45.2 percent from three.

For his career he's averaged 9.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, shooting 35.6 percent from three. But his shooting from the perimeter has improved in each of his four seasons, and while the huge jump he took in 2021-22 may not be sustainable, he'll still be expected to hover around the 40 percent mark.

At 6'10" and 225 pounds, Nance should fit into the team's current starting lineup seamlessly, fitting into a similar stretch-4 role that the departing Brady Manek handled last season.

The Tar Heels return their other four starters—Armando Bacot, Caleb Love, R.J. Davis and Leaky Black—to a team that lost to the Kansas Jayhawks in the national championship game last season. They are also bringing in the 15th-ranked recruiting class in 2022, per 247Sports.com's composite rankings, highlighted by a trio of 4-star players in point guard Seth Trimble, center Jalen Washington and power forward Tyler Nickel.

A number of college basketball analysts believe the Tar Heels should open the season as the top-ranked team in the country, including ESPN's Jeff Borzello, College Hoops Today's Jon Rothstein and Stadium's Jeff Goodman.

Kentucky Basketball Hall of Famer Mike Pratt died Thursday at the age of 73.

Per Jon Hale of the Louisville Courier Journal, Pratt had cancer that spread to his liver, jaw and back.

Pratt played three seasons for the Wildcats from 1967-70. He was named to the All-SEC first team in each of his final two years with the program.

Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari issued a statement about Pratt in the wake of his death, via Tyler Thompson of On3.com:

"We lost a family member, a part of the Kentucky family and a friend. If you ever had the pleasure of meeting Mike Pratt, you knew what a special person he was. Mike was a dear friend to me and was an integral part in helping me become head coach here. Ellen and I will forever be grateful to him for his support and kindness. We should all be thankful that he was in our lives. Mike knew that the University and the Big Blue Nation loved him, and they never forgot what he did as a player and then later as a connection for the program. I’m going to miss him."

According to Hale, Pratt was on the coaching search committee in 2009 that eventually led to Calipari being hired by the program.

After going undrafted, Pratt spent two seasons playing in the ABA with the Kentucky Colonels. He moved into coaching at the college ranks in 1975 when Lee Rose hired him as an assistant at Charlotte.

When Rose left the 49ers to go to Purdue, Pratt was promoted to head coach. He went 56-52 in four seasons with the program before being fired after the 1981-82 campaign.

Pratt returned to his alma mater in 2001 to do color commentary for Wildcats games alongside Tom Leach on the UK Radio Network. The duo remained together even as Pratt underwent treatment when he was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2019.

Pratt was inducted into the Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. He averaged 16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 81 games as a player for the Wildcats.

Auburn's Jabari Smith Jr., Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren and Duke's Paolo Banchero are considered the three best players in the 2022 NBA draft class, but one of those three made it clear Friday that he believes he's the cream of the crop.

Banchero, who starred as a freshman for the Blue Devils during the 2021-22 men's college basketball season, told reporters that he should be selected with the No. 1 pick on Thursday.

"I feel like I am the best player in the draft, and I feel like I showed that throughout the year," he said. "I feel like I showed everything with my skill sets and my intangibles."

Banchero averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 39 games last season while shooting 47.8 percent from the floor and 33.8 percent from deep. He helped lead Duke to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament, where the Blue Devils were eliminated by the North Carolina Tar Heels.

The Orlando Magic hold the first overall pick this year, and Smith is widely expected to be the first player off the board.

In his latest mock draft, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman also projected Smith to land in Orlando, with Holmgren going to the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 2 and Banchero to the Houston Rockets at No. 3.

It's a good time to be Stephen Curry.

One day after Curry won his fourth NBA championship, Davidson athletic director Chris Clunie announced the school will retire his No. 30 jersey at an Aug. 31 ceremony.

The announcement comes on the same day that head basketball coach Bob McKillop announced he was stepping down after 33 seasons.

Curry played three seasons for the Wildcats from 2006 to '09. He was named Southern Conference Player of the Year twice and earned consensus All-American honors in 2007-08 (second team) and 2008-09 (first team).

The 2008 NCAA tournament was Curry's breakout moment on a national stage. He led Davidson to a 29-7 overall record and earned the No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region.

The Wildcats advanced to the Elite Eight with wins over Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin before losing to eventual national champion Kansas. Curry averaged 32.0 points, 3.5 assists and 3.3 steals per game during that tournament run.

Curry is the school's all-time leader in points (2,635), three-point field goals (414) and three-point percentage (41.2).

After a successful three-year run at Davidson, Curry was selected No. 7 overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2009 NBA draft. He has gone on to lead the franchise to four titles, won two NBA MVP awards and earned his first NBA Finals MVP award in 2022.

Bob McKillop's 33-season run as head men's basketball coach at Davidson has come to an end.

The 71-year-old announced his retirement Friday.

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who played for the Wildcats from 2006 to 2009, thanked his college coach for the impact he made on his life:

McKillop played college basketball at East Carolina (1967-68) and Hofstra (1970-72). He began his coaching career in 1973 at Holy Trinity High School in Long Island, New York.

Eddie Biedenbach, who coached at Davidson from 1978 to 1981, hired McKillop as an assistant for one season in 1978-79. McKillop went back to coaching high school basketball in Long Island for 10 seasons.

The Wildcats hired McKillop as their head coach in 1989. The New York native went 4-24 in his first season with the program and didn't post a winning record until the 1993-94 campaign.

McKillop led Davidson to 15 regular-season conference titles and eight conference tournament titles between the Southern Conference and Atlantic 10.

The Wildcats made the NCAA tournament 10 times under McKillop. The 2007-08 season was the most successful in program history. They went 29-7 (20-0 in the Southern Conference), made the NCAA tournament as a No. 10 seed and advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to eventual national champion Kansas.

Curry had his breakout moment on a national stage during that run. He averaged 32.0 points per game and shot 44.2 percent from three-point range in four games. The Jayhawks' 59-57 win over Davidson was their smallest margin of victory in the tournament.

Davidson lost to Michigan State, 74-73, in the first round of the 2022 NCAA tournament in what turned out to be McKillop's final game.

McKillop retires with a 634-380 career record in 1,014 games. He ranks 54th in NCAA history for wins as a men's Division I head coach.

Chet Holmgren remains in contention to be the No. 1 pick of the 2022 NBA draft for the Orlando Magic, but he and his agent, Bill Duffy, reportedly would prefer to go No. 2 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Ryen Russilo provided the latest intel on his podcast (h/t Cody Taylor of The Rookie Wire):

"I've been told this is where Duffy and Chet want to go. They want to go to Oklahoma City because … [of] the opportunities and he has way more freedom because of the roster in front of him than maybe he would in Orlando. … That’s the preference that I’ve heard, and it makes a lot of sense from a basketball standpoint of being brought along but also getting more opportunities."

Holmgren still reportedly met with the Magic front office on Wednesday and Thursday last week, according to Taylor.

Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero and Holmgren are considered the top three prospects in the class and will likely land among the Magic, Thunder or the Houston Rockets at No. 3, barring a trade.

Holmgren remains an intriguing prospect because of his versatility at 7'0". The center was a star defensively for Gonzaga, averaging 3.7 blocks and 9.9 rebounds per game, but his offensive game is also exciting with 14.1 points per game and a 39.0 three-point percentage.

The two-way ability would be a huge boost for the Thunder, which finished 24-58 last season and are still developing their core for a rebuild.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a clear go-to option and Josh Giddey showed potential last year, but there are few long-term commitments on the roster and no proven options in the frontcourt. Holmgren could easily step into the lineup and see a massive role in his first season in Oklahoma City.

The role wouldn't be as clear with Orlando, with center Wendell Carter Jr. and forward Jonathan Isaac both under contract for at least three more years (though Isaac's contract is only partially guaranteed).

There are also several ball-dominant guards on the roster in Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs and Markelle Fultz. Adding Franz Wagner, there could be limited touches to go around.

While any No. 1 pick would certainly get playing time, the path to stardom might be more difficult in Orlando.

Purdue point guard Jaden Ivey could very well be the No. 4 pick in the 2022 NBA draft. However, he doesn't appear keen on playing for the franchise that currently owns the fourth overall selection.

The Sacramento Kings "aren't Ivey's preferred destination," according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony. However, the Kings could still pick Ivey even if he withholds medical information and declines workouts with them because they haven't been afraid to do so in the past, per Givony.

Givony adds that "many around the NBA feel that this pick is available for a team looking to swap picks and move up the draft for Ivey." It wouldn't make much sense for the Kings to select Ivey, as they have recent lottery picks De'Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell as their starting guards.

With that said, NBA insider Quinton Mayo (h/t Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee) reported that the Washington Wizards are interested in acquiring the fourth overall pick to select Ivey.

The Wizards could use a point guard to pair with Bradley Beal, so their interest in Ivey comes as no surprise. However, the asking price for the fourth overall selection could be hefty, so there's no guarantee that Sacramento trades the pick.

In an interview with The Spun's Matt Hladik, Ivey said he "would love to go anywhere," but that playing for the Detroit Pistons or Indiana Pacers would be special because his mother, Niele Ivey, played for the WNBA's Detroit Shock and Indiana Fever during her playing career.

The Pistons own the No. 5 pick and the Pacers own the sixth overall selection. However, Detroit already has Cade Cunningham and Indiana has Malcolm Brogdon, so it's unclear how interested they would be in Ivey.

With that said, Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer recently reported that the Pacers were testing the market for Brogdon. That means they might be open to taking Ivey at No. 6 and pairing him with combo guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Ivey is widely believed to be the best point guard available in the 2022 draft class. During his sophomore season at Purdue, he averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 46.- percent from the floor and 35.8 percent from deep in 36 games.

George Washington University will cease its use of the Colonials name by the 2023-24 academic year.

Per an announcement released Wednesday (h/t USA Today's Scooby Axson), school officials said the moniker "no longer [serves] its purpose as a name that unifies."

Former George Washington president Thomas J. LeBlanc said in a July 2020 statement that the institution was forming a special committee to look into changing the school moniker and renaming on-campus buildings and memorials.

LeBlanc's statement noted the Board's Naming Task Force emphasized the Colonials moniker "stood apart as an issue of great concern."

The special committee was formed in the wake of a March 2019 vote by GW's student body to drop the nickname with 54 percent support.

In April 2018, Alejandra Velazquez wrote a story in the GW Hatchet student newspaper criticizing the Colonials name as "an example of celebrating the colonization of Native Americans and slave ownership."

In Wednesday's announcement, GW president Mark S. Wrighton noted he was "impressed by the principled and collaborative approach of the special committee, and it was clear this process was driven by research and robust engagement with the community."

The school has not determined what its new moniker will be, though Wrighton noted the process will involve "extensive community engagement."

George Washington University has used the Colonials nickname since 1926. The mascot, George, features an enlarged George Washington head and a colonial uniform.