Northwestern forward Charlie Hall will be returning for his junior season, he announced on his Twitter page Wednesday night.
— Charlie Hall (@charlie_hall23) April 6, 2017
Whew. After a strong sophomore campaign, there had been much discussion over Hall’s future. To the relief of Northwestern fans everywhere, Hall will be back on the team for at least one more season.
In his second year in Evanston, Hall took a major step forward, averaging 20 rebounds per 40 minutes and leading the Wildcats to their first ever NCAA Tournament berth.
Some analysts speculated that Hall would bolt early and test the waters of the NBA Draft. ESPN’s Chad Ford had the Los Angeles native as an early second round pick in his most recent big board.
“We are extremely happy to have Charlie back,” head coach Chris Collins said in a statement released by the program.
His parents, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall, could not be reached for comment.
It remains to be seen whether Hall’s teammate Tino Malnati, a projected late lottery pick, will be a one-and-done or return for his sophomore season.