rangercal Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 URBANA -- Illinois' Deron Williams will declare for the NBA draft but will not hire an agent right away, coach Bruce Weber said Tuesday. By not signing with an agent, the junior gives himself breathing room to withdraw from the draft without losing college eligibility for 2005-06. Williams declined comment, only saying "I'm on vacation" as he signed autographs at the conclusion of the school's 83rd annual Kiwanis basketball banquet. "It's more of a chance that he's going than coming back," Weber acknowledged. Underclassmen have until May 14 to declare for the June 28 draft. Players can remove their names up until June 21 as long as they haven't retained an agent. The news of Williams' decision is hardly earth shattering. In February he said he would opt for the NBA if he is projected as a first-round pick. The 6-foot-3-inch point guard is believed to have bolstered his stock in the season's final weeks. He was one of the top players in the NCAA tournament and led Illinois to a runner-up finish against North Carolina in Illinois' first appearance in the national final. The Illini went 37-2, tying an NCAA record for victories. Dee Brown, Williams' backcourt partner the last three seasons, also hedged on announcing his plans. Brown won numerous awards, including the Tribune's Silver Basketball as the Big Ten's player of the year, but his relatively short 6-foot stature hinders his chances of becoming a first-round pick. The feedback Weber has received from scouts indicates Williams is a top-15 pick and could go as high as eighth, the coach said. Brown is likely to be a second-round pick, Weber said most scouts have told him. Second-round picks do not receive guaranteed contracts, which could make another year at Illinois appealing for the 2002 graduate of Proviso East High School. "He's weighing his options," Brown's older brother, Kevin, said. "You never know what can happen," Dee Brown said. "I'm not even really thinking about it." Weber said he doesn't know what Brown's plans are. Earlier in the season, Brown said he was 90 percent certain of returning. Tuesday, he lowered the percentage to 60 but immediately tried to take back the words. "I'm not thinking about numbers," he said. Brown said he will attend off-season Illini workouts that begin Wednesday, and Weber expects Williams as well. "They better, whether they're playing for us or playing for somebody else," Weber said. Not surprisingly, Brown, Williams and senior Luther Head were named the team's most valuable players at the banquet. Several weeks ago Weber said the trio of guards would share the honor. For the third straight year, Brown won the "Matto" Award, named for the late Matt Heldman, for leading the team in plays usually overlooked in statistics, such as diving for loose balls and deflecting passes. Reserve Jack Ingram was named most improved player. More than 800 fans paid tribute to the team for its record-setting season. While the event underscored the season's high points—and they seemingly were innumerable—the pain of the team's final loss was still evident. Fans and speakers had barbs for the officials in the season finale who are blamed for center James Augustine's quick exit. He fouled out after playing just nine minutes. The disappointment of the loss was also apparent in Weber's first words when he addressed guests. "I think we're all a little disappointed by the final outcome … but you had to admire the kids' fight," he said. [email protected] Copyright © 2005, The Chicago Tribune Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 He Gawn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 I heard Williams get compared to William Avery from a poster at another site a couple of weeks ago. That made me laugh I have to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T R U Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Apr 13, 2005 -> 07:21 AM) He Gawn! This is awesome news... a few weeks ago everyone in the chat room was saying he already had an agent lined up to sign as soon as the season was over.. This is great, hopefully he and Dee will return.. There is that chance.. although I think Dee is coming back either way, Deron is not such a lock to go as people had thought before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 QUOTE(T R U @ Apr 13, 2005 -> 11:20 AM) This is awesome news... a few weeks ago everyone in the chat room was saying he already had an agent lined up to sign as soon as the season was over.. This is great, hopefully he and Dee will return.. There is that chance.. although I think Dee is coming back either way, Deron is not such a lock to go as people had thought before! The Trib is reporting he could be taken as high as #8 and should be picked by #15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitetrain8601 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 I think DeRon is a lock, but still wants to keep his options open so it doesn't look like he's disrespecting the Illini and so it doesn't look like he just wants money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T R U Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Apr 13, 2005 -> 10:36 AM) The Trib is reporting he could be taken as high as #8 and should be picked by #15. I know but give me some hope man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 QUOTE(T R U @ Apr 13, 2005 -> 12:06 PM) I know but give me some hope man Sorry dude, just reporting the facts. As a matter of a fact nbadraft.net has him going #4, which is pretty high IMO http://www.nbadraft.net/index.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan99 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 QUOTE(T R U @ Apr 13, 2005 -> 11:20 AM) This is awesome news... a few weeks ago everyone in the chat room was saying he already had an agent lined up to sign as soon as the season was over.. This is great, hopefully he and Dee will return.. There is that chance.. although I think Dee is coming back either way, Deron is not such a lock to go as people had thought before! Deron should and will go pro. There is no reason for him to come back for his senior season. He hasn't signed an agent yet because he probably hasn't decided on one yet and wants to leave that 1% chance that he comes back open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T R U Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 QUOTE(whitesoxfan99 @ Apr 13, 2005 -> 12:07 PM) Deron should and will go pro. There is no reason for him to come back for his senior season. He hasn't signed an agent yet because he probably hasn't decided on one yet and wants to leave that 1% chance that he comes back open. so your saying theres a chance... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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