The writing on the wall turned out to be true.

Jake LaRavia is staying in the NBA draft, he announced Tuesday night, confirming suspicions from the past few weeks that his rising stock would lead to this decision.

LaRavia, the 6-8 wing who was a second-team All-ACC selection in his only season with Wake Forest, had until midnight Wednesday to withdraw from the draft.

LaRavia announced he was entering the draft process on March 29, but that he would retain his eligibility to return to Wake Forest. He technically has two seasons of college basketball eligibility remaining – his second season at Indiana State was the 2020-21 season, which doesn’t count against players’ eligibility.

But it’s become clear over the last few months – really, hints were apparent early in Wake’s season – that LaRavia would have the option to pursue professional aspirations after one season as a Deacon.

The Indianapolis native averaged 14.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game – second and first for Wake Forest last season, respectively – and shot 55.9% from the field (38.4% on 3s). His 31-point thrashing of eventual national runner-up North Carolina saw him make 9 of 13 shots and 12 of 15 free throws.

LaRavia was not only a versatile, three-level scoring offensive weapon for the Deacons, he was one of the best defenders. He led Wake Forest in steals (55) and was second in blocks (32), and his lateral quickness was part of the reason the Deacons were able to switch on screens.

The same traits that LaRavia featured in helping the Deacons record 25 wins were bound to stand out to NBA teams, also.

An NBA source told Deacons Illustrated at the ACC tournament that LaRavia could be a late first-round pick if he chose to enter and remain in the draft. For the past couple of months, LaRavia’s workouts have earned rave reviews from draft-focused media.

LaRavia came to Wake Forest after two seasons at Indiana State. He wasn’t in the transfer portal for more than a fortnight before the Deacons snagged him in March of 2021.