Santa Clara guard Brandin Podziemski, a former St. John’s Northwestern standout, declares for NBA draft

Zac Bellman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read
Brandin Podziemski was named Mr. Basketball by the WBCA in 2021.
Brandin Podziemski was named Mr. Basketball by the WBCA in 2021.
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After a breakout sophomore season with Santa Clara, former St. John’s Northwestern Academies standout Brandin Podziemski announced he will be declaring for the NBA draft.

In an Instagram post shared Wednesday, Podziemski thanked his supporters, as well as teammates and coaches from Santa Clara. Podziemski transferred before the start of his sophomore season from the University of Illinois to Santa Clara.

“Thank you for blessing me with this opportunity this season. You helped me continue to grow as a man and basketball player,” Podziemski’s post read in part.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Brandin Podziemski (@iab_podz)

“I would like to announce that I want to pursue a dream of mine since I picked up a basketball in eighth grade,” his statement continued. “I will be declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft while maintaining my college eligibility!”

A 2,000-point scorer in three seasons with St. John's, Podziemski capped a decorated high school career by being named the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association’s Mr. Basketball as a senior in 2021. His NCAA Division I offers included Kansas, Kentucky and Miami, but he ultimately elected to attend Illinois.

Sophomore Brandin Podziemski averaged 19.9 points and 8.8 rebounds for Santa Clara this season.
Sophomore Brandin Podziemski averaged 19.9 points and 8.8 rebounds for Santa Clara this season.

In his freshman season in Champaign, Podziemski averaged 4.3 minutes, 1.4 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.3 assists. After transferring to Santa Clara, Podziemski had the largest year-to-year scoring average improvement of any player in NCAA DI, averaging 19.9 points per game. He also increased his rebounding average to 8.8 and assists to 3.7. The 6-foot-5 guard's effort on the boards was the fifth-best in the nation for players of that height or shorter, and the assist average led his team as well.

ESPN currently ranks Podziemski as the 39th-best potential 2023 NBA draft prospect.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Santa Clara guard Brandin Podziemski declares for NBA draft