Jordan Nwora will return to Louisville for junior season

Jordan Nwora will be back at Louisville for his junior season.

On deadline day, Nwora was one of the last four Division-I players to announce his stay or go decision. He waited until just before 10 p.m. ET to put the fears of a nervous fan base to bed.

Nwora was the second-most improved scorer in the nation last season with his 17.2 scoring average (sixth in the ACC) up 11.5 ppg from his 5.7 average as a freshman. As a result of that rise in production, Nwora was named the ACC’s Most Improved Player for 2018-19, and was a Third Team All-ACC selection.

He declared himself eligible for the draft in late March, saying at the time that he would be looking for a first round guarantee to solidify his entry into the next level.

“If the feedback is positive, I would stay in the draft,” Nwora said. “If the feedback indicates I should return to school for continued development, then that’s what I will do. Either way, it is a positive experience that will allow me to find out what specifically NBA teams want me to improve to enhance my draft stock, whether it is for this year or next year.”

After missing the NBA Draft Combine last week with a calf injury, Nwora apparently did not receive the feedback he had been searching for.

With Nwora back in the fold as a junior, expect Louisville to be a near-unanimous preseason top 10 pick heading into the 2019-20 season. Not bad for year two of the Chris Mack era.

Do your happy dance, kids. This winter is going to be a blast.