Isaiah Whitehead to remain in NBA Draft

With NBA Draft's early entry deadline hours away, Isaiah Whitehead has opted to remain in consideration, ending his career at Seton Hall. (Photo courtesy of Newsday)

The decision has been made, and for Seton Hall fans, it is not the one they were hoping for.

Isaiah Whitehead, who led the Pirates to their first Big East championship since 1993 and first NCAA Tournament since 2006, has hired an agent and will remain in the NBA Draft, opting to forgo his final two seasons of eligibility.

First confirmed by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, Whitehead's future had been a hot topic for the past week following his stellar showing at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. The Brooklyn native wowed several NBA scouts, and has continued to schedule workouts with teams during the draft process, including one with the Indiana Pacers on June 2 that was reported by SNY's Adam Zagoria, and upheld his intentions late Tuesday night via Twitter.

Seton Hall Has Been A Blessing To Me & My Family As Hard As It Is I Decided To Turn Pro & Live My Dream Thanks For Everything 🔵🙏🏿 #SH4LIFE

— Isaiah Whitehead (@IsaiahW_15) May 25, 2016

According to Zach Braziller of the New York Post, who has covered Whitehead since his career took flight at Lincoln High School in Coney Island, the guard has signed with Andy Miller of ASM Sports. Miller, who will also represent Syracuse's Malachi Richardson, boasts a list of clients that reads like a Who's Who of NBA talent, counting the likes of Kevin Garnett, Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka and Kristaps Porzingis among those in his stable.

Braziller further reports that Whitehead and his family decided Friday that he would remain in the draft after heavily debating both sides of the decision throughout the week. The news comes on the same day in which two of his Big East counterparts announced they would withdraw from the draft, as Xavier's Trevon Bluiett and Villanova's Josh Hart are both returning to their respective programs.

In Seton Hall's 25-9 season, Whitehead averaged 18.2 points and 5.1 assists en route to being named a first team all-Big East selection. Currently the No. 58 selection in Draft Express' mock draft, he would be the first Pirate to have his name called since Eddie Griffin and Samuel Dalembert were both first-round selections in 2001.