MBB : Greene declares for draft
Donte Greene has declared for the NBA Draft, according to a statement released by Syracuse athletics.
Greene informed SU head coach Jim Boeheim on Wednesday of his intent.
‘After discussing my future plans with my family and coach Boeheim, I’ve decided to declare for the NBA Draft,’ Greene said in the statement. ‘The Syracuse coaching staff is going to gather information on my behalf and help me begin that process.’
Pete Moore, Syracuse’s sports information director, confirmed Greene has not hired an agent. By NBA rules, Greene can withdraw his name by June 16 provided he hasn’t hired an agent.
Greene was not available for further comment.
Boeheim told ESPN Radio 1260 he was not surprised about Greene’s decision to enter his name.
‘He made up his mind last year at high school that he was going to put his name in,’ Boeheim said. ‘…It’s never been a secret. He had a solid year.’
Greene is the first player to declare for the NBA early since Carmelo Anthony did after one season in 2003. The NBA Draft is June 26.
ESPN’s Chad Ford rates Greene as the 19th best draft prospect for 2008. He says Greene projects to be a lottery to mid-first round pick.
Greene’s high school coach, Josh Pratt of Towson Catholic in Baltimore, said he text messaged Greene Tuesday night and purposely didn’t ask him what his decision would be. Pratt told The Daily Orange on Wednesday he was surprised by the timing of the announcement, not the announcement itself.
‘As far as surprise, it doesn’t really surprise me,’ Pratt said. ‘That’s his and his family’s decision. I’m not really surprised by it now in this day and age. I’m sure he thinks he’s as good as any of those other guys (who have already declared).’
Boeheim said the team and Greene would gather opinions and evaluations from NBA scouts after Greene attends the NBA pre-draft camp in May and then make a judgment on whether Greene is satisfied with where he could be selected in the draft.
‘Putting your name in is fine,’ Boeheim said. ‘It’s a question of whether you keep your name in. It’s something Donte has to decide. It’s something he could very well end up doing.’
Pratt said Greene has talked about playing in the NBA since his high school days, when he was named a McDonald’s All-American his senior season en route to becoming one of the top-rated forward prospects in the nation. As to why he decided to make the jump after only one college season, Pratt said he didn’t have a concrete answer.
‘I really can’t answer that,’ Pratt said. ‘It might have to do a little bit with his family, with himself. He’s always dreamed about playing in the NBA. Maybe he feels he’s ready, maybe he feels he’s good enough, and that’s what he wants.’
The 6-foot-11 Greene averaged 17.7 points per game in his freshman season, the second most for a first-year player in Syracuse history, behind only Anthony’s 22.2 in 2002-03.
After a report on Draftexpress.com Tuesday night said a source close to Greene said he would declare for the draft, Syracuse assistant coach Rob Murphy told The Daily Orange the report was incorrect, and Greene had not informed the staff of his intentions as of late Tuesday night.
‘He loved Syracuse,’ Pratt said. ‘I think he really enjoyed school. He especially loved the student body. I guess that part of it is what really surprised me.’
Published on April 9, 2008 at 12:00 pm
