Wake’s Bryant Crawford staying in NBA draft

The junior guard is the fifth underclassman to leave the Deacons since the end of last season

Bryant Crawford led Wake Forest in both scoring and assists as a junior last season (Jim Dedmon/USA TODAY Sports)

  The nearly complete turnover of Wake Forest’s basketball roster took another turn Tuesday with the announcement that junior guard Bryant Crawford has decided to keep his name in the NBA draft and forgo his final season of eligibility with the Deacons.

  Crawford, an honorable mention All-ACC selection, is the fifth underclassman to leave coach Danny Manning’s program since the end of the 2017-18 season.

  He joins center Doral Moore in the draft while wing Keyshawn Woods and forwards Donovan Mitchell and Rich Washington have all elected to transfer.

  Crawford led Wake in five statistical categories last season, averaging 16.9 points and 4.9 assists per game while recording 57 3-pointers, 48 steals and shooting 86.8 percent from the free throw line. He scored a career-high 29 points against N.C. State on Feb. 17.

  For his career, the 6-foot-3 Maryland native started 93 of 94 games and ranks seventh on the Deacons all-time list with 467 assists.

  “We wish Bryant luck as he embarks on his professional career,” Manning said in a statement “He has been a leader on our team for the last three years since starting the first game of his freshman year. We will miss him next season but will are looking forward to seeing his success as a professional.”