Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga withdrawing from NBA Draft, returning to school

Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga is withdrawing from the 2023 NBA Draft and returning to the Cornhuskers, he announced via Twitter Wednesday. He burst onto the scene for Fred Hoiberg’s group this past season, his second after transferring from Ranger College.

Tominaga put up impressive numbers for Nebraska in 2022-23, averaging 13.1 points per game, which ranked second on the Cornhuskers in scoring. He quickly became a fan favorite in Lincoln, dubbed the “Japanese Steph Curry” and even getting a shoutout from the Golden State Warriors star, himself, during the season.

“Love it, Keisei!” Curry tweeted.

Hoiberg has also made the case for Tominaga to be an NBA prospect, pointing out that shoutout from Curry as a reason why.

“I don’t think Steph Curry’s tweeted at very many people in college basketball this year,” said Hoiberg, who coached in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls. “So that’s very awesome when your idol sends a message out for the world to see. Your millions and millions of followers. You look at what the league is all about right now. Analytics, shooting, floor spacing. Those players are so good. There’s more room in the NBA. There’s more space. If you can shoot it at a high level, you’re gonna have a chance.”

Tominaga will return to a Nebraska team that went 16-16 overall and 9-11 in Big Ten play last year.

More on the 2023 NBA Draft

The 2023 NBA Draft is set to take place on Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. Round 1 of the draft will be announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, while Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum is expected to handle the second round of picks.

To be eligible for the NBA Draft, players must be at least 19 years in age during the calendar year that the draft is held and at least one NBA season from their high school graduation date, or the date that would have been if they are not graduated. It is not required that player spend that one year playing college basketball, though. Players can play in either college, abroad, or the G League Ignite if they choose so.

While this is a significant change from what the rules once were, players are eligible to enter their names into the NBA Draft pool and explore their options by hiring an agent to go through the process, while still keeping their college eligibility. The deadline to make that move is on April 23 beginning at 11:59 p.m. ET.

The NBA Draft Lottery was held on May 16, which was also the start of the NBA Conference Finals. The San Antonio Spurs won the lottery.