AM Rumble: Nigel Hayes needs help with his senior wish, Kris Dunn’s draft strategy

Today we discuss the future of DePaul, Nigel Hayes senior wish, Kris Dunn’s eccentric decision, and more!

Around St. John’s

Former St. John’s forward Christian Jones announced on Tuesday his decision to continue his basketball career at UNLV. Runnin’ Rebels head coach Marvin Menzies had this to say about Christian Jones.

"We are very pleased and excited to announce the addition of Christian to the program. He is another significant addition to our roster for this season, and brings us immediate experience, toughness and leadership. We had instant chemistry from our first conversation on the phone and I am confident that his short journey as a Runnin' Rebel will be very productive."

Jones is a graduate transfer and will be able to compete immediately. [Also See: the Rumble’s review of Christian Jones’s season.]

Around the Big East

Former Providence Friar Kris Dunn has adopted a bold strategy in an attempt to improve his draft stock. Dunn refuses to workout for any NBA teams unless he can compete against Ben Simmons, Jamal Murray, or Brandon Ingram. According to ESPN’s Chad Ford, Dunn has yet to workout with any NBA teams with the draft looming.

It seems likely that Dunn wants to prove he can out perform the best of this draft class, and improve his draft positioning if he had the chance to square off with either Simmons, Murray, or Ingram. Despite his mindset, denying workouts with NBA teams could be a move he regrets.

DePaul has been the Big East’s punching bag over this past decade, but the days of basketball failure could be coming to an end.

With the recent additions of transfer Austin Grandstaff and four-star 2017 PG Justin Roberts, the Blue Demons future looks bright. Adding those two into a strong facade laid by coach Dave Leitao, DePaul supporters should be eager for the future.

Around the nation

College basketball programs often schedule nonconference contests that allow seniors to play a game near their hometown. For example, North Carolina scheduled a road game last season against Northern Iowa to allow senior Marcus Paige the proper homecoming. Marcus Paige ended up sitting out against Northern Iowa and the Tar Heels were upset by the Panthers. Still, it was a genuine gesture on North Carolina’s part.

Wisconsin’s senior star Nigel Hayes has a wish to play one game in his home town of Toledo, Ohio.

According to ESPN, Wisconsin assistant coach Lamont Paris promised a road contest against Toledo if he received 50,000 retweets on the tweet above. The retweets would have to come by the end of next week.

Right now Hayes only has a few more than 7,000 retweets, it will be interesting to see if he can hit the 50,000 retweet mark.