Mustapha Heron withdraws from NBA Draft, to transfer from Auburn

Auburn guard Mustapha Heron (5) attempts a free throw during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018, in Columbia, S.C.

Auburn's leading scorer will return to college basketball, but for another team.

Mustapha Heron withdrew his name from the NBA Draft on Tuesday, but will not return to the Plains for his junior season, instead looking to transfer closer to his native Connecticut and his ailing mother, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed.

Bryan Heron, Mustapha's father, told Adam Zagoria that Mustapha's mother, Thalia Heron, has had 30 doctors visits and five emergency room visits after suffering a concussion during the last year and his son will apply for a hardship waiver for immediate eligibility.

"Being home, he wants to get closer to his mom," Bryan Heron said, according to Zagoria. "He knew he had to go back to school. The last month he's been here and he wants to be close to his mom, where she can see him play. ... He's going to apply for (the hardship wavier), but if he doesn't get it, it is what it is after that. But he definitely wants to be where he can see his mom on the regular."

Heron's decision to withdraw from the draft was not entirely unexpected, as he was not among the players invited to this month's NBA Draft Combine, and though he planned to sign with an agent, he never did so.

Heron averaged a team-high 16.4 points per game on 43.9 percent shooting, including 33.1 percent from 3-point range, and had 5.3 rebounds last season.

"I was surprised, but I did know that Mustapha's mom was sick," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "Unfortunately she just wasn't able to travel and rarely got to see him play. I think that going through the process, I think Mustapha realized that he was going to be a maybe a late second-round pick and was probably the best thing for him to come back and continue to work on his game and work on his skills. I think once he then made that decision, I think the opportunity potentially to get a hardship transfer and be eligible closer to home somewhere was what I think he really has in mind."

In his two-year Auburn career, Heron averaged 15.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 44 percent from the field, 37.2 percent from beyond the arc and 78.6 percent from the free-throw line.

James Crepea is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @JamesCrepea.

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