Ryan Turell Declares For NBA Draft

Yeshiva University Maccabees star guard Ryan Turell (SSSB ‘22) will be declaring for the 2022 NBA draft instead of playing one more season of collegiate basketball, Turell announced in an Instagram post on March 15. Turell has the option to play one more season with the Maccabees thanks to all NCAA players’ being granted an extra year of eligibility due to the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons’ being cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.   

Several teams have expressed interest in Turell, requesting footage of him playing. Throughout this season, a number of teams sent scouts to the Max Stern Athletic Center to observe Turell playing, such as New York Knicks President Leon Rose, who attended a few games.

Throughout this season, Turell has continued to impress on the court, breaking several Macs’ scoring records. On Nov. 28, he scored 51 points against Manhattanville College, a personal career-high and Macs’ record for points scored in a single game. Later, on Feb. 1, against Merchant Marine Academy, Turell became the all-time leading scorer in Macs’ history.       

Declaring for the draft does not guarantee getting drafted. According to the NCAA, just 1.2% of college players are actually drafted to the NBA. Additionally, nearly all of those players are from Division I, compared to Turell who played in Division III. Currently, the only player in the NBA who played in DIII is the Miami Heat’s Duncan Robinson, who eventually transferred to a DI school. As of now, Turell is not expected to be selected by any teams.   

The draft occurs once a year, with two rounds each consisting of 30 selections for a total of 60 players’ being drafted each year. The minimum requirement to be eligible for the draft includes being at least one year out of high school and being at least 19 years of age. Once players have been drafted by a team, they can sign a contract. Even if a player is not drafted, they can still sign with a team as an undrafted free agent. Several notable players have entered the NBA this way, such as Knicks legend John Starks. If Turell is drafted or signed by a team, he will be the first Orthodox Jew to make the NBA. Speaking about the significance of this possibility, Turell told ESPN: “Being the first Orthodox Jew in the NBA would mean the world to me, and a dream come true, God willing. But, just as importantly, it would mean the world to others that never saw this as a possibility.”

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Photo Caption: Ryan Turell is attempting to be the first Orthodox Jew in the NBA

Photo Credit: YU Athletics