by Matt Cooke
The unquestioned driving force behind the West Georgia Wolves' run to the NCAA Regionals in 2015 is headed to professional basketball. UWG coach Michael Cooney announced last week that Deonta Stocks had declared for the 2015 National Basketball Association Draft. Stocks submitted his official notification letter to the NBA prior to the April 26 deadline.
"While I am sad to see Deonta go, I am very grateful that I have had the best seat in the house to watch him play, compete, and grow," said Coach Cooney. "He made play after play on both ends of the court. He brought great joy to everyone including our team our students and our fans, and he grew into being an outstanding player and teammate."
Stocks' move to the professional ranks follows a monster season for UWG in 2014-15. The Lithonia native was named All-America by four separate organizations. He was also a Daktronics All-South Region selection, the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year, and was chosen the state's Division II Player of the Year by the Georgia Association of Basketball Coaches.
Stocks posted numbers as a sophomore last season that more than justified the acclaim. His 22.7 points per game averaged led the GSC and ranked 11th best nationally in Division II, and his 681 points ranked ninth nationally and was the fourth-best single season in UWG history. Also, Stocks ranked among the nation's top-25 in steals, steals per game, field goals, field goal attempts, free throws, free throw attempts, and free throw percentage. He did this while leading UWG to semifinal round of the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament.
Though Stocks played less than two seasons in a West Georgia uniform, he ended his career with 1,123 points, good for seventh all-time at UWG and more than any sophomore in the school's long and rich basketball history.
Stocks also possessed a flair for the dramatic. His first appearance in a Wolves' uniform saw him score a last second basketball to a road game at Shorter. And, in March, it was Stocks' dramatic buzzer beater that felled West Alabama in the NCAA Tournament.
Coach Cooney added, "Deonta is playing better now than he was a month ago, and he is extremely excited to pursue his dream of being a professional basketball player. I know that the entire UWG nation will get behind Deonta, and we will all be pulling for him and watching for more of the extraordinary."
Though Stocks has declared himself for the draft, that decision is not necessarily binding. Players who have applied for early entry have the right to withdraw their names from consideration for the Draft by notifying the NBA of their decision in writing no later than 5 p.m. ET on Monday, June 15.
Should Stocks be drafted, he would become the first West Georgia player chosen in the NBA Draft since Dave Edmunds was picked by Phoenix with the 112th pick in 1975. If Stocks makes it to an NBA roster he would be West Georgia's first player in the league since Clarence "Foots" Walker completed his 10-year career (Cavaliers and Nets) in 1984.
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