N.C. State commit Jalen Lecque may head straight to the NBA Draft

By ADAM ZAGORIA

Jalen Lecque , the 6-foot-4, 185-pound combo guard from Brewster Academy (N.H.), may head straight to the NBA Draft in 2019 instead of enrolling at North Carolina State, according to a report from ESPN.com.

“I could be a freshman on a college campus right now,” Lecque, who grew up in New York City and Teaneck, N.J., told ESPN at an event in the Bahamas. “I am eligible for the [2019] draft. I’m a fifth-year senior, but I’m also eligible for the draft because of my grades.”

Lecque, who chose the Wolfpack over Louisville, Oregon, TCU, Tennessee, Texas Tech, and UCLA, would have to petition the NBA by submitting paperwork before the April 21 deadline, per ESPN.

“I am interested in everything because the NBA is my goal at the end of the day,” he told ESPN. “I want to be a great college player, but my end goal is to help my family. I want to be a concrete Round 1 player if I do make that decision. If I’m guaranteed a Round 1 position, then you never know. I could see myself doing it if I am in a good position at the end of the year. A college education is so important and making that jump is really hard, so I really gotta think about that, but if I’m Round 1, then that’s different.”