Ohio State forward Justice Sueing remains in NBA Draft, forgoes final college season

Ohio State forward Justice Sueing will not be returning to Columbus to use his extra COVID year of eligibility. On Tuesday morning ahead of Wednesday’s deadline for players to pull out of the draft and return to school, college hoops insider Jon Rothstein reported that Sueing’s agent confirmed his client’s intentions to pursue a pro career, thus ending a long, strange road at the collegiate level for Sueing.

Here was Rothstein’s report:

“Ohio State’s Justice Sueing is staying in the 2023 NBA Draft, per his agent Scott Nichols.”

Thus ends a six-year career for the former Buckeye. It’s crazy to think he even had the option to come back for a seventh season, but after redshirting in 2019-20 following a transfer to Ohio State from California, Sueing played a whole year, then took a medical redshirt, then came back and played as a senior this past year, yet still had the option for a super senior season in 2023-24.

What a wild ride for Justice Sueing, and it ends with averages of just over 12 points and five rebounds a game for the talented wing. Best of luck to him wherever he lands professionally.

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. Players have until June 12 at 5 p.m. ET to withdraw their name from the pool and return to college.

The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 16, which is also the start of the NBA Conference Finals.