- The Washington Times - Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Dayton sophomore forward Obi Toppin, who was recently named the Associated Press men’s college basketball player of the year, declared for the 2020 NBA draft.

Toppin averaged 20 points and 7.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1 steal per game as a sophomore and led Dayton, a mid-major program, to a 29-2 record and the No. 3 national ranking at the end of the regular season.

“I would like to share the news with you guys that I will be signing with an agent and forgoing my college eligibility by entering my name into the 2020 NBA draft,” Toppin said in a video posted Wednesday afternoon.

The Flyers were all but guaranteed to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament before the postseason was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“While we are very upset the season has ended the way it did, we are also grateful for what we did accomplish this year and how we were able to support others along the way,” Toppin said.

“I want to thank God for allowing me to be in a position that I am in today. I want to thank my mother for all the hard days and nights that she goes through to allow me to be in a position that I am in today. I want to thank my father for helping me grow and continue to show me the ropes about playing basketball throughout my life - you are definitely a great teacher.”

A recent ESPN mock draft pegged Toppin as a top-10 pick, going No. 9 overall to the Chicago Bulls.

• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.

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