A member of the Utes men’s basketball team will test the NBA Draft waters for the second year in a row.
Utah junior guard Sedrick Barefield, a 6-foot-2 guard from Corona, Calif., participated in an NBA pre-draft workout with the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Barefield was one of 236 college players who declared for the draft as early entry candidates, though he did not hire an agent and is expected to return to the program next season.
Utes forward David Collette went through a similar process last spring when he declared for the draft so he could participate in workouts for NBA teams and receive feedback from NBA evaluators as he prepared for his final college season.
Barefield, the Utes’ No. 3 scorer, started 24 of the 32 games he played and averaged 12 points and 2.5 assists while shooting 35 percent from 3-point range and 85 percent from the free-throw line this past season.
Barefield figures to play a more prominent role in the Utes’ backcourt next season with the graduation of all-conference point guard and leading scorer Justin Bibbins. Barefield was named to the NIT’s all-tournament team after helping lead the Utes to the championship game and their fifth consecutive 20-win season.
