More Departures and Signings

According to the Chicago Tribune DePaul sophomore Wilson Chandler is declaring for the NBA Draft. This decision comes as surprise to the Blue Demons who were expecting the 6'8" forward to be the centerpiece of their team next season.
"This decision did not come easy for me because of my feelings for DePaul University," Chandler said.
Despite this sentiment Chandler has stated that he is committed to turning pro. This season he was voted second team All-Big East after averaging 14.9 points and 6.9 rebounds; both numbers were tops on DePaul. Even with these accolades many scouts aren't very high on the 19-year old; ESPN draft analyst Chad Ford ranks Chandler 85th on his list of prospects.
The departure hurts DePaul tremendously on the inside where they must now rely on juniors Karron Clark and Wesley Green, neither of who was very productive this season.

According to The Oregonian, Oregon State's Marcel Jones plans to enter the NBA Draft. The 6'8" Jones led the Beavers in scoring with 15.3 points and was second in rebounds with 5.7. It is likely that the junior will be back for his senior season though, as he doesn't plan on signing with an agent, but is merely testing the draft waters.

According to a report in the Dayton Daily News Ohio State freshmen Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., and Daequan Cook are all likely to declare for the NBA Draft. Albert Powell who was an assistant coach for all three players on their AAU team stated that there is a "90 to 95 percent" chance the group will be leaving school. "If it's one," Powell said "It's all of them."
All three players families plan to meet in Indianapolis this Sunday to discuss the future of their sons.

Good news for Oregon fans as The Oregonian reports that forward Malik Hairston will be back for his senior season. Hairston averaged 11.3 points and 6 rebounds for the Ducks this season, and with Aaron Brooks graduating Hairston's return is a big boost for Oregon who will look to improve on their Elite 8 appearance this year.
It was also reported that assistant coach Scott Duncan will be leaving Oregon to take an assistant coaching position at UCLA. Duncan will replace former assistant Kerry Keating who recently took the head coaching job at Santa Clara.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that University of Washington freshman Phil Nelson will be transferring. Nelson was one of four highly touted freshmen for the Huskies, the most prominent being Spencer Hawes who has already declared for the draft and is likely to sign with an agent. Nelson stated that he was unhappy with his role at Washington despite averaging 14.9 minutes and appearing in 31 of 32 games. He averaged 4.7 points. Head coach Lorenzo Romar was surprised at Nelson's desire to transfer.
The 6'7" swingman will transfer to the Big Sky conference where he will play for Portland State under the guidance of former Huskies assistant coach Ken Bone. Nelson will have to sit out a year as a transfer player.

According to The Hartford Courant Connecticut freshman Hasheem Thabeet wants to stay with the Huskies for another season, but because of financial reasons he may not be able to. UConn head coach Jim Calhoun said that Thabeet would be in "true hardship" if he stayed another year in college. The situation which involves Thabeet's mother who has come over from Tanzania is apparently very complex.
The 7'3" Thabeet is very tough to place as a draft prospect because he is so raw. NBADraft.net has Thabeet going as the 14th pick in their latest mock draft. The freshman was mainly a defensive presence this season averaging 6.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks in 24.6 minutes.
It was also reported that Donnell Beverly, a 6-foot-4 point guard from Lawndale, Calif., was expected to make a commitment to UConn. Beverly averaged 19 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists his senior year, and is expected to fight for time as back up point guard behind junior A.J. Price who is expected to be the starter.

According to the Charlotte Observer South Alabama has been granted permission by Charlotte to speak with their coach Bobby Lutz about their open head coaching position. The job has been open since Monday when former head coach John Pelphrey left to take the head coaching position at Arkansas. According to other reports, South Alabama is also showing interest in Lipscomb head coach Scott Sanderson and Alabama assistant Philip Pearson.

Other Signings Of Note From Today
Illinois - Quinton Watkins: 6'3" SG - Compton, CA - 19.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3 apg, 2 spg - Ranked 88th by Rivals.com
Purdue - Greg Hill: 6'2" SG - Merrilville, IN - 17.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg
Utah - Tyler Kepkay: 6'0" PG - Juco Soph (College of Eastern Utah) - 27.9 ppg (led all Juco players) - first team Junior College All-American
Indiana - De'Andre Thomas: 6'8" F - Juco Soph (Chipola Junior College) - 15.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg - Ranked 17th among Juco players by Hoopmasters.com
Butler - Jermain Raffington: 6'8" F - Juco Soph (Southeastern Community College) - 10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 53% FG
Oregon State - Michael Stovall: 6'5" SG - Chicago, Ill - 20 ppg, 8 rpg, 4 apg - Top 10 Senior in Illinois by several Illinois recruiting sites
Missouri - Justin Safford: 6'8" PF - Bloomington, Ill - 17.8 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 3.1 bpg