ISU big-man recruit Emmanuel Malou filed paperwork for the NBA Draft on Monday, according to a report from The Vertical.

An ISU spokesperson confirmed the news and said Malou had not yet hired an agent. This will keep Malou’s collegiate eligibility alive, thanks to a new rule by the NCAA this season that allows recruits to attend the NBA Combine and not lose their eligibility. 

However, ISU coach Steve Prohm told the Des Moines Register that he didn’t think he would necessarily lose Malou. 

“This is just a backup plan to help the kid,” Prohm said. 

Malou, who is a 247sports.com four-star recruit and the No. 2 junior-college player in the nation, played at Yuba College in California, where he averaged 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game as a freshman. He then transferred to Des Moines Area Community College last semester to focus on his academics.

Malou’s eligibility has been an issue before. He first attended the now-defunct ABCD Prep in Des Moines and was forced to take the JUCO route when we wasn’t eligible for the NCAA. 

He is now scheduled to graduate from DMACC this summer. However, if he is not ruled eligible, he will have the NBA Draft as a backup plan. 

“I expect it to go our way,” Prohm told the Register. “I think people are jumping the gun on this draft thing. This is a protection to help him — give him another option.”

Should Malou not be ruled eligible this summer, he would likely sign with an NBA D-League team to continue playing basketball.