Tulane’s Melvin Frazier declares for 2018 NBA Draft

NEW ORLEANS – Following a breakout junior season for the Tulane men’s basketball team, Melvin Frazier Jr., has declared for the 2018 NBA Draft but is following NCAA guidelines to retain his collegiate eligibility.

“I’ve made a lot of progress between my freshman and junior years, and now I want to use this opportunity to see where it takes me,” Frazier said. “I have a chance to do something big and feel like I’m ready, so I’m going to test out this process and give it my best shot.”

Frazier is ranked as the No. 31 overall prospect eligible for the draft according to ESPN.com and has been slotted as a first-round selection in several editions of the site’s mock draft.

“Melvin has garnered a lot of serious interest from numerous NBA teams based on his wide range of talents,” head coach Mike Dunleavy Sr., said. “Foremost, his potential to be a defensive stopper at multiple positions along with the rapid development of his offensive skills make him a valuable two-way player. He has a great work ethic and aptitude for learning. I think this is the right move at the right time to explore his opportunities at the next level. I’m going to help him each step of the way to achieve his dream of playing in the NBA.”

An Avondale native who prepped at L.W. Higgins, Frazier garnered a handful of honors following a breakout 2017-18 campaign, as he was voted American Athletic Conference Most Improved Player of the Year, an NABC all-district second team and all-conference second team choice.

“I wasn’t very good as a freshman and it was a learning experience,” Frazier said. “After Coach Dunleavy took over before my sophomore year, I bought into his program and he taught me a lot. As a junior, I felt like I put it all together.”

Among his noteworthy performances in 2017-18, Frazier scored 27 points with five assists at No. 13 North Carolina and poured in a season-high 28 points with five steals at Memphis. He tallied 27 points and made six 3-pointers with seven assists at SMU and registered his fifth double-double of the year with 22 points and 11 rebounds at No. 13 Wichita State.

Frazier was named The American Player of the Week once and received Jamaica Classic MVP honors after posting consecutive double-doubles comprising at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in each of Tulane’s wins over Colorado State and Fordham.

The 6-foot-6 guard led the conference in steals (65), ranked second in field goal percentage (.556), fourth in scoring (15.9), fifth in minutes per game (34.4) and 12th in rebounding (5.6). His 65 steals were the fifth most in a single season in program history and the most by a Tulane player in 21 years.

2018 NBA Draft Timeline
April 22: Declaration Deadline (11:59 p.m. Eastern Time)
May 15: Draft Lottery
May 16-20: NBA Combine (Chicago)
May 30: Withdrawal Deadline
June 21: NBA Draft