REPORT: DENG GOING PRO
Freshman phenom will not hire agent, leaving option open of returning to school. :laugh: Yeah, thats gonna happen
From staff reports
April 27, 2004
The player so many compared to Carmelo Anthony at the onset of the season is set on emulating the former Syracuse star one more time.
Duke freshman Luol Deng will make himself eligible for the NBA Draft, according to Luol's father Aldo, who spoke to The Raleigh News and Observer by phone from London Monday.
No agent will be hired, thereby permitting Luol to return to Duke until June 17. Deng will remain in the draft unless it is apparent he will not be an early selection, according to a source close to the situation.
Such a scenario would appear unlikely, however, as Deng has been tabbed a top-five selection by ESPN.com.
Deng's style of play is often compared to that of former Blue Devil star Grant Hill, with whom Deng has developed a strong friendship over the course of this past season. Indeed, Deng idolized Hill as a budding player from his earlier playing days in London, England.
But Hill played out his college days at Duke, winning two national titles and falling in another championship game during his illustrious four-year career under head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Deng, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Atlanta Regional, averaged 15.1 points and 6.9 rebounds during the course of the season, good enough for the second-team All-ACC squad. He was also a member of the All-Final Four team.
Deng's father told The News and Observer that the family hopes Luol has the support of the Duke community.
"That [Luol] gets to the draft with the backing of Duke, that is what the family wants," he said. "We aren't worried [about Luol getting] his education for the fact that education is there all the time. But this [NBA] opportunity is not always there. Anything can happen to you. You can be injured or whatever it is. We just hope that this does not make Duke unhappy with Luol and I don't think it will."
Deng would become the seventh Blue Devil to leave Duke early, joining Elton Brand ('99), William Avery ('99), Corey Maggette ('99), Jay Williams ('02), Mike Dunleavy ('02) and Carlos Boozer ('02).
Another Blue Devil--commitment Shaun Livingston--is still mulling his options regarding whether or not he will come to college or jump to the pros. A 6-foot-7 point guard from Peoria, Ill., Livingston has also been projected as a top-five pick by ESPN.com.
Please stay tuned to The Chronicle Online for the very latest regarding Luol Deng's decision to enter the NBA Draft. Contact the sports editor at sports@lists.chronicle.duke.edu for further information.
<a href='http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/04/27/408e321347941' target='_blank'>http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/displa...7/408e321347941</a>
You should check out some of the comments made by some of the students. Amazing how selfish they are.
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