Johnell Davis and Alijah Martin, junior guards at Florida Atlantic who were the driving forces behind the Owls’ run to the 2023 Final Four, will not be entering the NBA draft and will instead return to FAU to lead a top-five team in the preseason under coach Dusty May.
Davis and Martin were confronting a midnight ET deadline Wednesday to stay in the June 22 NBA draft or return to college basketball.
Davis and Martin, who each had a few NBA pre-draft exercises, return to a FAU program that will actually want to additional feature them for the 2024 draft, with a transition to the American Athletic Conference and a few nonleague games against national programs.
FAU’s remarkable run to the NCAA Final Four was led by Davis and Martin, who averaged over 13 points and five rebounds each. In the national semifinal game, the Owls lost to San Diego State on a buzzer-beater.
Martin worked out with the LA Clippers, Dallas, Boston, and Chicago. Davis trained for Philadelphia, Indiana, Boston, Sacramento, Milwaukee, Utah, and Utah.
