Since the MSU men's basketball team's early exit from the NCAA Tournament last month, the main question swirling around East Lansing has been whether Shannon Brown would return for his senior season.
Now, after about six weeks of contemplation, Brown has made a decision.
Kind of.
The junior guard announced Monday that he's declared for the NBA Draft, but won't hire an agent. That leaves the door open for him to return next season if he decides to remove his name from the draft by June 18.
"My lifelong dream has been to be an NBA player," Brown said in a written statement. "By testing the draft waters I am allowing myself to make a more informed decision while keeping all my options open. This really is a win-win decision for me."
Under NCAA regulations, underclassmen can declare for the draft once and withdraw beforehand without penalty as long as they don't hire an agent, which would forfeit their amateur status.
Brown, the 26th underclassman to declare for this year's draft, is projected by most analysts as a late-first or early-second round pick. That's important because only first-round picks are guaranteed a contract.
MSU head coach Tom Izzo said Monday that he only expects Brown to go if he's guaranteed to get taken in the first round.
"I really do feel — knock on wood — confident that the right decision will be made," Izzo said. "What is the right decision? Well, it's different for every kid. But I don't think he'll make a bad decision. I don't think he'll be taking chances. I think he'll have to feel pretty good about himself to make that decision."
Brown is rated the 37th best prospect in the class by ESPN.com — one spot ahead of senior Paul Davis. Senior Maurice Ager is 29th.
But that list includes several players who won't enter the draft. Friday is the deadline for players to declare.
"We'll have a clearer picture by next week or the week after," Izzo said.
If Brown returns next year, he will unquestionably be the star of the team. Izzo has said that if Brown were to return, he'd be the focal point of MSU's offense, much like Duke's J.J. Redick last season.
"(Brown) improves his stock if he comes back," Izzo said.
When asked why he thought that, Izzo said, "Because I've seen the improvements he's made over the years."
If Brown joins Ager and Davis in the draft, the Spartans will lose three 17-point scorers from last year's team. Still, Izzo insists he won't be upset if Brown leaves.
"It is a win-win-win," Izzo said. "I guess on paper, if he goes, it looks like it's a lose for me. It's a lose if you look at the small picture, but a real win if you look at the big picture. The potential of maybe having three first-round picks is pretty impressive."
In the meantime, Izzo said, Brown will likely attempt to boost his profile by participating in the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando beginning June 6.
The main concern Brown needs to address is where he projects position wise. He's considered small for a shooting guard but hasn't had the ball-handling experience of most point guards.
"I don't think we'll ever, including the last day, know exactly where Brown will get drafted," Izzo said. "But I do think we'll have the best educated opinion, and that's why him extending the process is really a no-brainer. It's what he had to do."
Tom Keller can be reached at kellert1@msu.edu.
