Őmer Yurtseven isn’t entering the NBA Draft after all. But he isn’t returning to NC State, either.
The 7-foot center, who earned third-team All-ACC honors while helping the Wolfpack to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015, announced Monday that he will continue his college career by transferring to Georgetown.
The sophomore from Turkey announced that he was leaving State last month, but was noncommittal as to which direction he would take. Yurtseven told ESPN.com that the opportunity to play and learn from Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing, one of the most dominant big men in basketball history, was a deciding factor in his decision to sign with the Hoyas.
“I needed a big-man coach and don’t think anybody is better than Patrick Ewing when it comes to the experience he has as a player,” said Yurtseven, who will have two years of college eligibility remaining after sitting out next season under NCAA transfer rules.
Yurtseven rallied from a disappointing freshman season under former State coach Mark Gottfried to average 13.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore under new coach Kevin Keatts.
He proved to be an effective inside-outside threat by shooting 57.2 percent from the floor — third best in the ACC — and hitting 22 of his 44 3-point attempts.
Yurtseven announced his decision to sign with Georgetown, along with a message to Keatts and Wolfpack fans, on Twitter.
“I would like to thank Coach Keatts, the entire coaching staff at NC State and the fans of (Wolfpack Nation) for all they have done for me,” the now former five-star recruit wrote. “But at this point I have decided to look at other opportunities to further my academic and basketball career.”
