One Of The Best Players In The 2015 NBA Draft Is Skipping College To Go Pro Overseas

Emmanuel Mudiay, a high school point guard committed to SMU who's ranked No. 5 in the country by ESPN, has decided to forego college and play one year of professional basketball overseas before declaring for the 2015 NBA Draft, ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman reports.

Mudiay had decided to play for SMU head coach Larry Brown rather than at higher-profile schools, including Kansas and Kentucky, and many have projected him to be the no. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft. Brown told ESPN that the 6'5" Mundiay is the most talented point guard he'd ever seen at his age. According to Goodman, concerns about amateurism status worried Mudiay, and he announced on Monday that he'll no longer be attending SMU.

Making the move from high school to professional basketball in Europe, rather than one year of college, is controversial but not unheard of. Most notably, Brandon Jennings spent a year in Europe instead of attending Arizona, and was selected 10th overall by the Milwaulkee Bucks in 2009.

Although Mudiay won't be making a name for himself in March Madness, or helping SMU return to basketball relevancy, he'll almost definitely be a lottery pick in 2o15. Check out a highlight video of him below: