Nebraska basketball had some news on Monday as guard Dalano Banton announced that he was going to enter the NBA draft. He will retain his eligibility.
The deadline for players to withdraw from the draft is July 7. The draft itself is July 29. He did not hire an agent, and that makes him eligible to return to Nebraska basketball.
He averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. It was a big part of what Nebraska basketball did last year, as he started in 22 games. Anybody who’s followed me over the past couple of months knows how much I loved his style of play. He always seemed to play hard every single time he was on the floor.
His best game last season came against Nevada. He scored 18 points on six-of-17 shooting. He made three three-point shots in that game. To me, that was the first inkling of how special he could be for this program. His energy was noticeable.
I like the idea of him retaining his college eligibility. That way, he’s not going to put all his eggs in one basket in regards to the draft. If he does not get drafted, he can return and help what should be a stacked Nebraska basketball team next season. There is no doubt he can play the game, that much is certain. He is electric every time he steps on the floor. The program could use that energy once again next season.
I would like to see a little bit more development in terms of his skills. If he can polish his shooting just a little bit more, that would benefit him in the long run. In that respect, I think another season of college basketball would do him well. If he ends up getting drafted, I certainly wish him the best. It would certainly be a notch in the belt of the Nebraska basketball program. He certainly can rebound and pass the basketball. I would love to see him just work on his shot little bit more.
It will be interesting to see how his fate ends up. Either way, he is in a very good situation. He’ll either get to the NBA, or go back to a strong Nebraska basketball program. Retaining his eligibility was key here and I think that certainly gives him options in the long run. What those options are will become clearer once the draft ends in July.
