Mar 27, 2014 09:59 AM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

A new unconfirmed report states the surprise breakout Kansas Jayhawks center Joel Embiid is preparing to enter the NBA Draft in June.

Unnamed sources have told Yahoo Sports Embiid, 20, will forgo three years of eligibility in the NCAA for the June 26 draft. Many experts and pundits have said the freshman center from Cameroon will be among the top three selections.

The source said Embiid is currently settling on choosing an agent to represent him professionally and will release an official announcement soon. The news may not come as a surprise to many, as Embiid was an unexpected breakout star whose draft stock soared all the way to the top very quickly.

At 16 years old, Embiid enrolled in a Florida prep school with very limited basketball experience. Some evaluators are now sizing him up as a rare franchise center, Yahoo Sports reported.

By mid-season, several experts said he, teammate Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker would compete for the first overall selection. As a seven-foot center, Embiid averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebound and 2.6 blocks per game.

He did have to miss Kansas' last six games due to a back injury, which is not expected to deter any NBA general manager, though they will monitor it. Embiid saw a specialist in Los Angeles before sitting out the final few regular season games and the team's entire postseason.

Since Kansas was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the second round, Embiid never had to test out his back in a game, giving it extra rest.

Embiid is part of a small batch of early draft declarations including St. John's JaKarr Sampson, Ohio State's LaQuinton Ross and NC State's TJ Warren. Other players expected to declare for the draft include Wiggins, Parker, Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart, Kentucky's Julius Randle and Michigan State's Gary Harris.

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