Emmanuel Mudiay is Heading Overseas

Top Southern Methodist University recruit Emmanuel Mudiay will forgo his college career and head overseas.  A source told Yahoo Sports that Mudiay signed a $1.2 million deal with Guangdong of the China Basketball Association.  His contract will be the highest paid ever for a high school player going overseas.


SMU suffered a huge loss with Mudiay leaving.  Mudiay, the 5th ranked recruit in the class of 2014, would have been paired with Keith Frazier, Marcus Kennedy, Ben Moore, and Nic Moore.  Despite the loss of Mudiay, SMU will still be a contender this year.  They reached the NIT final and lost to Minnesota 65-63.  SMU now has talent and experience coming back.  It's just a shame they couldn't get Mudiay to stay.


Mudiay is among the likes of current NBA players Brandon Jennings and Jeremy Tyler.  Both of which went overseas straight out of high-school.  Jennings was still drafted 10th overall and Tyler was drafted 39th.  Mudiay is projected to be better than both Jennings and Tyler though. 

Emmanuel Mudiay had been faced with eligibility issues for this season at SMU.  In a statement given to Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn, Mudiay said,  He was looking forward to playing at SMU, “But I was tired of seeing my mom struggle. And after sitting down with coach Brown and my family we decided that the best way for me to provide for my mom was to forgo college and pursue professional basketball opportunities." Mudiay will sure be able to provide for his family with his $1.2M contract. 

Emmanuel Mudiay is projected a lock as a top 5 draft pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.  Draftexpress.com projects Mudiay to be the 3rd pick in the draft. The number one player of the 2014 high school class Jahlil Okafor is projected to go 1st, and Kansas Jayhawk big Cliff Alexander is projected 2nd.  It will be interesting to see if Mudiay's draft stock falls as college players prove themselves throughout the season. 

According to Yahoo Sports' source Mudiay has taken out insurance policies to protect his future earnings against injury while overseas in China. 

Emmanuel Mudiay will not be a name that fades away once he goes overseas.  Expect to hear his name next year in May and June when the NBA Draft is approaching.  It's just too bad we couldn't hear Emmanuel Mudiay's name in the fittingly named Moody Collesium of the SMU Mustangs next season.