Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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MEN'S BASKETBALL A Pair Of Underclassmen Declare For The NBA Draft Mishawaka, Ind., native Demetrius Jackson has played his last game for the Irish. The Notre Dame junior point guard met with head coach Mike Brey March 29 and, after a dis‑ cussion with the head man, announced a decision to leave school early and declare for the 2016 NBA Draft with plans to also hire an agent. "[Brey's] been a really great mentor for me and really has helped me," Jackson said. "So talking with him definitely helped me come to a firm decision. "It is big. A dream come true, and it's been my goal for such a long time. So to be able to have the opportunity to kind of reach that goal, it's just an amazing feeling." While he works out in preparation for his future career, Jackson will not continue classes at Notre Dame, although he does plan to finish his degree down the road. Junior wing V.J. Beachem also declared for the NBA Draft, but did not hire an agent, so he can retain his eligibility for the 2016‑17 season. The NCAA changed their rules this year to allow student‑athletes to keep their name in the NBA Draft until up to 10 days after the final day of the NBA Combine, which this year is May 25 (the com‑ bine ends May 15). This allows student‑athletes like Beachem to go through the draft process, work out with teams, etc., while preserving their amateur status if they'd like to go back to school — as long as they don't take steps like hiring an agent. "I really pushed for V.J. to take advantage of the new rules to get a better understanding of his future in professional basketball," Brey said in a release from Notre Dame. "He finished the season on an outstanding run, and the ability to go through this process will be another step forward in his confidence as a player and as a leader in our program. "This can really set him up for a great finish to his college career or provide him the opportunity to play the game at its highest level." — Jordan Wells Junior wing V.J. Beachem played his best bas- ketball at the end of the season, averaging 17.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in Notre Dame's four NCAA Tournament contests. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND