Omer Yurtseven bypasses NBA draft, returning to NC State

NC State freshman Omer Yurtseven will withdraw from the NBA draft and return to school, multiple sources told ESPN.

The skilled 7-footer from Turkey came into college with plenty of hype, but struggled in 2016-17 while playing for Mark Gottfried, who was fired after the season.

"I'm certainly happy that Omer has made the decision to return to NC State," new coach Kevin Keatts said in a statement. "...I'm excited to be a part of his continued development as a player. His skill set is a great fit for our system and style of play, and I look forward seeing Omer further develop."

Yurtseven averaged 5.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 18.9 minutes and was likely to be selected in the latter portion of the second round, according to multiple NBA executives.

"I feel like I have a special relationship with Coach Keatts, which is one of the main reasons I decided to return," Yurtseven said in a statement. "I'm grateful to all of the NBA teams that brought me in for workouts, helped me through this process and provided valuable feedback. That being said, I'm excited to return to NC State and play, and continue to improve under Coach Keatts and our staff next season."