NMSU confirms that Sim Bhullar has declared for NBA Draft
New Mexico State men’s basketball head coach Marvin Menzies announced on Friday, April 25 that center Sim Bhullar has decided to forego his remaining collegiate eligibility by entering his name into the 2014 NBA Draft.
Bhullar, who was named the 2013 and 2014 Western Athletic Conference Tournament MVP and led the league in blocks (3.37/game) and shooting percentage (64.8), had two years of eligibility left with NM State. Helping his team reach the NCAA Tournament each year he was with NM State, Bhullar averaged 10.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 65 games played.
“I have always dreamed of playing professional basketball and I have decided to officially pursue this by entering my name into the NBA Draft,” said Bhullar. “I want to thank my family, friends, coaches, and teammates for all their support during this decision making process. Most importantly I want to thank all the Aggie fans who have followed and cheered us on. The support and love I received here has made my time in Las Cruces an amazing college experience. Aggie Up.”
Bhullar helped the Aggies to two consecutive WAC Tournament titles during his time in the Crimson and White and finished his career with the top two spots in the record books for blocks in a season as he had 85 blocks as a freshman and 101 blocks as a sophomore. Before Bhullar broke the single-season record, former Aggie Ronald Grant held the record with 58 blocks during the 1973-74 season. Menzies knows exactly what kind of player he had on his team during the past two seasons.
“We are so happy for Sim and are 100% supportive of his decision to play professionally,” said Coach Menzies. “He has had an unbelievable impact on this program, community, and school in his short time here. We will always be thankful for the time he spent here and will work as hard as we can to ensure he graduates from New Mexico State University.”
Bhullar helped the team to a 50-21 record over the past two years for a 70.4 winning percentage. He was named to the WAC all-defensive team in 2014 and was the Newcomer of the Year in 2013. Bhullar also broke the school record for blocks in a single game when he tallied 10 blocked shots in a 91-60 win over Prairie View A&M, Nov. 27 in the Pan American Center. That day the Aggies tallied 14 blocks as a team, which is also a new school record at NM State. Former Aggie All-American James Moore is the previous record holder for blocks in a game when he tallied eight blocks against North Texas on Feb. 7, 2004. The previous school record for blocked shots by an Aggie team was 12. NM State marked 12 blocks against Creighton, Jan. 12, 1978, and against UTSA, Feb. 2, 2013.
The 2014 NBA Draft is scheduled for Thursday, June 26 at 7 p.m. (ET) with coverage on ESPN. There are two rounds in the draft with 60 players being selected. Other early entries into this year’s draft include Arizona’s Aaron Gordon (freshman) and Nick Johnson (junior), North Carolina’s James McAdoo (junior), Kansas’s Andrew Wiggins, Michigan’s Nik Stauskas (sophomore) and New Mexico’s Alex Kirk (junior).
Source: New Mexico State University
