“Proud my guy,” wrote Holmes’ agent Aaron Reilly, of the AMR Agency, on X (Twitter). “A team is about to get a day one contributor!!”
“Let’s show them what’s up!!” Holmes wrote in response.
“See you guys in NYC!!” DaRon Holmes Sr. wrote.
Holmes seeks to become the first Flyer drafted in the first round since Obi Toppin, who was selected by the New York Knicks with the eighth overall pick in 2020. Toppin did not get to experience the green room, where players sit with their families and coaches as they wait to get picked, because the draft was held during the pandemic.
Toppin was Dayton’s first first-round pick since Jim Paxson, who was taken 12th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1979. The only other first-round pick in UD history was John Horan, who was taken eighth overall by the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1955.
In his latest mock draft on HoopsHype.com, Scott predicted Holmes would be drafted 28th overall by the Denver Nuggets but also wrote, “While some around the league have speculated Denver as the landing spot for DaRon Holmes, multiple NBA executives who spoke with HoopsHype believe Holmes will be drafted higher than this No. 28 selection.”
A consensus All-American who won the Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Year Award and Defender of the Year award as a junior last season, Holmes averaged 20.4 points. He owns UD career records for blocked shots (215) and dunks (241). He ranks 11th in career scoring (1,745 points) and sixth in career field-goal percentage (.588, 630 of 1071).
The draft starts at 8 p.m. on June 26 and concludes a day later with the second round starting at 4 p.m. June 27. The second round will be held at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in Manhattan.
Entering this week, 21 players had received green room invitations, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, were: Zaccharie Risacher (France); Alex Sarr (France); Donovan Clingan (Connecticut); Reed Sheppard (Kentucky); Matas Buzelis (G League Ignite); Stephon Castle (UConn); Dalton Knecht (Tennessee); Tidjane Salaün (France); Ron Holland (G League Ignite); Cody Williams (Colorado); Devin Carter (Providence); Ja’Kobe Walter (Baylor); Rob Dillingham (Kentucky); Nikola Topic (Serbia); Jared McCain (Duke); Johnny Furphy (Kansas); Kyshawn George (Miami); Kyle Filipowski (Duke); Isaiah Collier (Southern California); Yves Missi (Baylor); and Zach Edey (Purdue), who declined the invitation.
Givony expected four more invitations to go out this week but did not list Holmes among the eight top candidates to receive one of those invitations.
On Monday, Givony reported Holmes was one of the last four players to receive invitations along with Kel’El Ware (Indiana), Bub Carrington (Pittsburgh) and Tristan Da Silva (Colorado).
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