NEWARK, NJ--NJIT forward Abdul Lewis has announced that he will enter his name into the 2018 NBA Draft, and will do so without hiring an agent.

"I am so proud of the progress Abdul has made on his basketball journey," head coach Brian Kennedy added. "He has worked so hard over the years with Newark Eastside HS, The Roadrunners and NJIT. Like all great endeavors there comes a point and time to check and see where you are at in the process and what you can further do to enhance your situation. The new NCAA rule allows Abdul to do this and it is a true testament of the work and sacrifices he and his family have made to get to this point. This is a very smart and educated decision on his part."

The NCAA allows players to enter their name for the NBA Draft without automatic forfeiture of remaining college eligibility. Players can participate in pre-draft workouts and retain eligibility as long as they do not sign with an agent and remove their name from draft consideration within 10 days following the conclusion of the NBA Draft Combine. This year, that deadline falls on May 30.

The 2018 NBA Draft Combine will be held in Chicago from May 16-20, and the 2018 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Lewis, standing at 6-foot-10, earned second-team ASUN Conference honors in his second year at NJIT.

He averaged 12.2 points per game while finishing second in the ASUN with 8.7 rebounds per game. His rebounding average set a new NJIT single-season record, breaking his own mark of 8.5 rpg set last season. Lewis did, however, lead the conference in offensive rebounding, pulling down 3.1 per game. He also finished second in the ASUN in double-doubles with eight.

The Newark native also placed fifth in the ASUN in bpg (0.9), seventh in field-goal percentage (.515), 17th in ppg (12.2) and 17th in apg (2.0). Lewis picked up his pace in conference play, when he averaged 15.1 points per game in 12 league contests.

For the season, he led (or co-led) NJIT in points eight times, rebounds 17 times, assists eight times and blocks 11 times. From Jan. 27 through Feb. 17, he set a career high by scoring in double figures in seven-consecutive games (averaged 20.1 ppg in the span). From Jan. 29 through Feb. 8, he tied his career-high with a three-game streak of 20-plus points (averaged 23.3 ppg in the span).

More than just a scorer down low, Lewis connected on eight-straight, three-point field-goal attempts over a span of four games from Jan. 27 through Feb. 8.

The South Alabama transfer also turned in his best performance in perhaps NJIT's biggest win of the season, when he scored a career-high 27 points (tied for team high) with game-highs in rebounds (13), assists (5) and blocks (4) on Feb. 3 at Lipscomb.

Earlier this season, he was selected as NJHoops.com D-I Player of the Week for Jan. 15-21 and ASUN Player of Week for Jan. 29-Feb. 5.