Just hours before the deadline to withdraw to maintain college eligibility, ORU basketball star Max Abmas withdrew from NBA draft consideration and will return to ORU for another season.

Last year, Abmas led the nation in scoring and was a key player in ORU’s Cinderella trip through the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 24.5 points per game and led his team to the Summit League Championship last season.

In the Sweet Sixteen, ORU was beaten by Arkansas 72-70. Abmas missed a last-second three-point shot that would have matched ORU against eventual national champion Baylor in the Elite Eight.

Abmas’ teammate Kevin Obanor, another key player for ORU last season, has entered the transfer portal. There is a possibility that he could return to ORU.

Oral Roberts men’s basketball Coach Paul Mills has hired Kenton Paulino as an assistant coach and promoted Iain Laymon to Director of Player Development/Video Coordinator.

“I’m so excited to welcome Kenton, his wife Shelette, and their two children Kiera and Kaleb to ORU,” Mills said. “Kenton is a worker! He turned himself into one of the top 15 3-point shooters in the country while playing at Texas.”

Paulino spent the previous two seasons at UTEP. In 2019-20, he helped turn around a Miners program that more than doubled their win total in Conference USA play. Paulino worked two years at Tulsa (2017-19), five years at Fresno State (2012-17) and one season at Lamar (2011-12) as an assistant coach.

As a player from 2002-06, Paulino was a two-year starter and a four-year letter winner at Texas and made trips to the Final Four (2003), Elite Eight (2006) and Sweet 16 (2004). Paulino spent a year in Turkey and another as a member of the Austin Toros (2007-08), the NBA G League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs.

Laymon came to ORU as a graduate assistant in 2017 and has been the video coordinator for the past four seasons.

“ORU basketball’s progress would not be what it is without the tireless dedication of Iain and his investment,” Mills added.