Baylor freshman basketball player Jeremy Sochan entering NBA draft

Baylor freshman Jeremy Sochan will enter the 2022 NBA draft and and forgo his remaining college eligibility by hiring agents, he told ESPN on Friday.

«I am fortunate enough to be declaring for the 2022 NBA draft,» Sochan, the No. 14 prospect in the ESPN 100, told ESPN.

He said he would sign with Jim Tanner and Deirunas Visockas of Tandem Sports.

Sochan was named Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year, All-Big 12 honorable mention and made the Big 12 All-Freshman team after averaging 9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 25 minutes per game last season. He helped Baylor to a 27-7 record and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, establishing himself as one of the best defenders in the college game along the way.

«This season had a lot of ups and downs,» Sochan said. «We were unlucky with injuries, but it was a great opportunity for me to grow and an opportunity to show the NBA my toughness and versatility on both ends. I came into this season with intentions to make myself better and help the team win.»

Sochan comes from a unique background, born to an American father and Polish mother in Oklahoma, where they both played college basketball at Division II Panhandle State. Sochan moved to England at a young age, where he spent the majority of his life.

He had his breakout at the FIBA U16 European Championship Division B in 2019, winning MVP honors and guiding Poland to a first place finish. He moved to La Lumiere School in Indiana in the United States shortly thereafter but, due to the pandemic, he elected to return to Europe, joining Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany for his senior year. He then committed to Baylor over offers from Kansas, Michigan State, Arizona and others.

Sochan was the youngest player in history to play for the