Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Hawk Talk Monthly — April | Fight For Iowa
IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa freshman guard Joe Wieskamp announced Thursday that he has submitted paperwork for entry into the 2019 NBA Draft in order to test the process.
Wieskamp plans to go through the process without an agent. Student-athletes wishing to return to school can do so by withdrawing from the draft by May 29.
“My dream has always been to play in the NBA,” said Wieskamp. “I want to do everything that I can to turn that dream into a reality whenever that may be. I am excited to gain feedback and learn from this process.”
Wieskamp, a native of Muscatine, Iowa, ranked fourth in team scoring (11.1 ppg), second in rebounding (4.9 rpg), and third in steals (31). One of five players voted to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team, he ranked second in the Big Ten in 3-point accuracy (.424, 59-of-139), which ranks second all-time among Iowa freshmen behind Jake Kelly (.435, 30-of-69). Wieskamp twice earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors in 2018-19 and sank the game-winning basket on a baseline 3-pointer that grazed the side of the backboard with 0.2 seconds remaining to propel Iowa to a 71-69 triumph at Rutgers on Feb. 16. Wieskamp tied Iowa’s single-game 3-point percentage record when he made all six 3-point attempts in Iowa’s 24-point win over Illinois (Jan. 20), tying Jeff Horner (2004 versus Penn State) and Jim Bartels (1995 at Ohio State).
“Joe should take advantage of this opportunity and we fully support his decision,” said Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery. “This rule is a positive one for those in pursuit of their professional dreams. We have had players in the past go through the process, all of whom found it beneficial in gathering information through workouts and interviews from NBA personnel. We will assist Joe throughout the process.”
