The only thing that's crystal clear about Emmanuel Mudiay's withdrawal from SMU to play professional ball is that it's happening. Everything beneath the actual decision remains fuzzy.
Most assumed eligibility and academic concerns were at play in equal parts, with a potential desire to help his family financially playing a part. It's possible all three factors weighed in, but Mudiay's brother, Steph Mudiay, denied to CBS Sports that eligibility was an issue.
“There's no truth to that,” he said. “People have been speculating that anyway. Two years ago, there was an incident about eligibility issues and there were a lot of questions about whether the school was qualified or not. So I think it just went from there."
Still, the NCAA had at least been looking into his eligibility, and if there were any concerns that he'd wind up sitting out the season, the decision makes sense. Brandon Jennings, of course, stands out as an example of a player who took a similar path, and Jennings was selected 10th overall in 2009 despite not blowing away Italian Serie A competition by any means.
What's more, CBS college basketball insider Gary Parrish has confirmed that there are financial issues at play for the family, and Mudiay's decision was made at the family level.
From here, the Mudiay family will seek to secure an agent, any available endorsement deals, and a landing spot for the season.
DraftExpress currently mocks Mudiay as the No. 3 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and ESPN's Chad Ford has him at No. 2.
