Nebraska Basketball: McVeigh Going Pro - Palmer Jr. & Copeland Jr. to Test NBA Draft Process

We have gone from almost radio silence out of the Nebraska men’s basketball program to three developments in one afternoon.

First off is junior forward Jack McVeigh leaving the program to pursue a pro career. It has been hinted at for a couple weeks now that Jack would be leaving the program to pursue other basketball opportunities. This tweet was from ten days ago from Robin Washut:

But practically nothing outside of that article and nothing noting any movement from the athletic department. All of which has changed today.

While it is disappointing to see Jack go it is not all that surprising. The junior from Australia’s role with the team has diminished over time. Mostly due to an influx of talent on the roster. He has gone from a high of 22.9 minutes per game his sophomore year to just 7.9 minutes the past season.

While his role diminished he was always known and a tried and true team player for the Huskers and was well respected on and off the court. We wish him the best in his pro career.

Another movement within the program is the announcement that junior forward Issac Copeland Jr. and junior guard James Palmer Jr. will test the NBA Draft process. This is not a surprise move from either as they both transferred to Nebraska for more playing time and the ability to move up.

By not hiring an agent they will both be able to keep their college eligibility in tact for a time being. Their names will be entered into the draft and will be able to start working out with teams in late April and will also be able to try out at the NBA combine in May. They will have until May 30th to pull their names out of the draft and maintain their college eligibility if they chose to do so.

James Palmer Jr. lead the team in minutes and points per game with 31.0 mpg and 17.2 ppg. The Miami trasfer also also averaged 4.4 rpg and 3.0 apg while shooting 44% from the floor. He was a first team All Big Ten player voted on by the coaches and second team member by the media this past season.

Georgetown transfer Issac Copeland Jr. was second on the team in scoring with 12.9 ppg and also averaged 6.1 rpg and 1.2 apg while averaging 47% from the floor. The junior was an honorable All Big Ten member with both the coaches and media.