Yale point guard Makai Mason declaring for NBA draft

Yale point guard Makai Mason is declaring for the NBA draft.

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Yale point guard Makai Mason is declaring for the NBA draft, reports SI’s Pete Thamel.

Under new draft rules, players can see where they are projected to be chosen, and subsequently, decide to return to school if they wish to.

“We want to take advantage of that new rule, show people beyond the Ivy League what he’s capable of,” Mason’s father Dan told Thamel.

Mason, a sophomore, averaged a team-high 16 points this season, while also posting 2.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game during a 2015–16 campaign that saw his team win the Ivy League title and advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

• THAMEL: Emergence of Yale’s Mason has been years in the making

Mason scored a career high 31 points in No. 12 Yale’s 79–75 upset of No. 5 Baylor in the first round, before the Bulldogs fell to No. 4 Duke 71–64 on Saturday.

This season, the Bulldogs advanced to their first NCAA tournament since 1962, finishing the season 23–7.