LSU’s promising 2018-19 outlook just took a hit.
ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reported that LSU guard Brandon Sampson will forgo his final season of eligibility and declare for the NBA draft after hiring an agent:
LSU junior Brandon Sampson has signed with an agent and will declare for the NBA Draft, source told ESPN. Top 50 kid coming out of high school.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 10, 2018
According to Tigerrag.com, Sampson is preparing for the NBA draft in Florida.
That came after a junior season in which Sampson took a step back with 7.7 points per game after battling with an ankle injury. His best season actually came in 2016-17 when he averaged 11 points as a sophomore.
The 6-5, 184-pound junior came to LSU as the No. 1 recruit in the state of Louisiana and the No. 56 recruit overall in the 2015 class. He and former top recruit Ben Simmons were part of an LSU class that ranked No. 10 nationally, but failed to even make the NCAA Tournament.
LSU has been picked as a preseason top 25 team by multiple outlets heading into 2018-19. It’s uncertain how Sampson’s loss will impact the Tigers’ outlook.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
