Dayton sophomore Obi Toppin to enter NBA draft

ByJONATHAN GIVONY
March 25, 2020, 1:49 PM

Dayton sophomore Obi Toppin is entering the 2020 NBA draft, he announced in a video posted on Twitter Wednesday.

"I hope everyone is safe and healthy during the current situation going on in the world, the COVID-19. I would like to share the news with you guys that I will be signing with an agent and foregoing my college eligibility by entering the 2020 NBA Draft," Toppin said.

Toppin, the No. 9 prospect in the ESPN Top 100, emerged as a national player of the year candidate as a redshirt sophomore, averaging 20 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 70 percent from 2-point range and 39 percent from 3 for a Dayton team that was projected by Joe Lunardi to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament before the season was canceled.

Toppin, 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds, was one of the most productive and exciting players in the college game, rocketing up draft boards at the Maui Invitational in November thanks to his high-flying dunks, deep 3s and on-court charisma. Standing only 6-foot-2 as a high school junior, Toppin sat out his freshman season at Dayton as an academic redshirt before winning Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Year honors last year.