Alabama guard Josh Primo has yet to announce whether he will keep his name in the NBA Draft or return to Tuscaloosa for his sophomore season. But during an interview with ESPN at the NBA Draft Combine, he was asked why this is the right time to move on from college.
āItās been a dream of mine for the longest time,ā said Primo in response to a question from analyst Jay Bilas. āSince I can remember just being a kid, being a fan of the game, running up and down, dunking on my Little Tikes net as a 2-year old. Iāve always loved the game, and being able to be in this position right now while Iām young, I really wanna be able to learn at this level and learn to be in a winning franchise, be a part of a winning team and be at that highest level. I wanna compete at the highest level, and thatās always been a dream.ā
Primo played in 30 games as a true freshman this past season and made 19 starts. The former 5-star recruit was the Crimson Tide's fifth-leading scorer at 8.1 points per game, and he shot 43 percent from the field and 38 percent from the 3-point line in 2020-21 while also tallying 101 rebounds, 25 assists, 17 steals and nine blocks during UAās run to the Sweet 16.
One of the youngest players currently in the draft field, Primo has received rave reviews for his performance at the NBA Draft Combine, and following a solid showing in Chicago this week, he chose not to participate in Fridayās workouts, possibly due to an increased level of confidence in his draft position. Primo told ESPN he has enjoyed interacting with the different NBA teams and executives while also showing off all parts of his game during combine drills.
āI think they took away that Iām not just a shooter,ā Primo said. āI think I showed a lot of that going into this, however, what I wanted to show is that Iām more than that. I can make plays for my teammates, I can make plays for myself going downhill and I can make plays on the defensive end, as well. Give energy to my teammates, thatās the biggest thing for me.ā
The deadline for underclassmen, who want to retain their college eligibility, to withdraw their names from the draft pool is July 7. NBA rules call for a later withdrawal deadline, but the NCAA has its own set of rules that say the deadline is 10 days after the combine.
āItās been a dream of mine for the longest time,ā said Primo in response to a question from analyst Jay Bilas. āSince I can remember just being a kid, being a fan of the game, running up and down, dunking on my Little Tikes net as a 2-year old. Iāve always loved the game, and being able to be in this position right now while Iām young, I really wanna be able to learn at this level and learn to be in a winning franchise, be a part of a winning team and be at that highest level. I wanna compete at the highest level, and thatās always been a dream.ā
Primo played in 30 games as a true freshman this past season and made 19 starts. The former 5-star recruit was the Crimson Tide's fifth-leading scorer at 8.1 points per game, and he shot 43 percent from the field and 38 percent from the 3-point line in 2020-21 while also tallying 101 rebounds, 25 assists, 17 steals and nine blocks during UAās run to the Sweet 16.
One of the youngest players currently in the draft field, Primo has received rave reviews for his performance at the NBA Draft Combine, and following a solid showing in Chicago this week, he chose not to participate in Fridayās workouts, possibly due to an increased level of confidence in his draft position. Primo told ESPN he has enjoyed interacting with the different NBA teams and executives while also showing off all parts of his game during combine drills.
āI think they took away that Iām not just a shooter,ā Primo said. āI think I showed a lot of that going into this, however, what I wanted to show is that Iām more than that. I can make plays for my teammates, I can make plays for myself going downhill and I can make plays on the defensive end, as well. Give energy to my teammates, thatās the biggest thing for me.ā
The deadline for underclassmen, who want to retain their college eligibility, to withdraw their names from the draft pool is July 7. NBA rules call for a later withdrawal deadline, but the NCAA has its own set of rules that say the deadline is 10 days after the combine.
