Jalen Hudson withdraws from NBA Draft, returns to Florida

Gators retain leading scorer from last season

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Consistent scoring was hard to come by for the Florida Gators last season. Their offense got a huge boost on Tuesday. According to a report from CBS Sports, Jalen Hudson has withdrawn his name from the NBA Draft and will return to Florida for his senior season.

Hudson led the Gators in scoring last season with 15.5 points per game. At 6-foot-6, the former Virginia Tech transfer has the length and three-point shooting ability (40 percent in 2017-18) to garner attention from NBA general managers. 

Hudson was not elected to attend the NBA Draft Combine, which is usually a sign that he would be a long shot to be selected in June’s NBA Draft. He had until Wednesday to remove his name from the draft and maintain college eligibility. 

A return to Gainesville means Hudson is likely penciled in as a starter for the Gators in the 2018-19 season.