Wieskamp returning for junior year
With the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NBA Draft coming up on Sunday, Joe Wieskamp had a decision to make.
Would he declare for the NBA Draft, as he did following his freshman year, or would he bypass the process and return to Iowa for his junior season?
The answer to that question came on Saturday afternoon via a release from the University of Iowa, Wieskamp will be returning for at least one more year in Iowa City.
"I have decided not to put my name in the NBA Draft this year due to the all the unknowns in regards to team workouts and what the process will look like," said Wieskamp. 'My goal is to play in the NBA and I'm looking forward to that possibility in the future. However, I'm extremely excited for this upcoming season at Iowa! We have the opportunity to do something really special."
After his first year with the Hawkeyes, where he earned All Freshman honors in the Big Ten Conference, Wieskamp tested the NBA Draft process and had workouts with the Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder, along with conversations with several NBA teams.
This past year he averaged 14.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and earned third team All Big Ten honors. The Iowa native led the Big Ten in free throw percentage this past season at 85.6% and this past season also included score a career best 30 points in a win over Nebraska.
Iowa junior center and Big Ten Player of the Year, Luka Garza has already declared for the NBA Draft, but he not retained an agent, which will give him the option to return to the Hawkeyes for his senior season. Garza will have until June 3rd to decide if he wants to return to Iowa, unless the NBA and the NCAA agree to extend that deadline due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the inability to hold workouts at this time. The current feeling is that the NBA Draft, which was scheduled to take place on June 25th, will be pushed back until sometime in August, so it’s likely that deadline will be moved so workouts can take place prior to the draft.