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Brandan Wright To Enter NBA Draft

North Carolina freshman Brandan Wright plans to enter the NBA draft in June.

The 6-foot-9 forward said during a news conference Monday he doesn't intend to sign with an agent yet -- a move that would keep open the possibility of a return to school next year. But coach Roy Williams said Wright was almost certain to remain in the draft.

Wright is expected to be a high first-round pick thanks to his long, lean frame and soft touch around the basket. He ranked second on the team at 14.7 points and 6.2 rebounds a game, joining All-American Tyler Hansbrough on a dominating front line.

He shot 64.6 percent, leading the Atlantic Coast Conference while setting the league's freshman record. He was the ACC rookie of the year -- the third straight season a Tar Heel won the award -- and was honored as most valuable player of the league tournament for helping North Carolina win its first title in nine years.

Hansbrough said this month he would return for his junior season. Also, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington said they would be back for their sophomore seasons.

Source: ESPN

NCAA To Move 3-Point Line Back

Twenty years ago, the NCAA made one of the most significant rules changes in its history when it instituted the 3-point shot.

In the year of the 20-year anniversary, the NCAA men's basketball rules committee decided the line needed a makeover.

So, beginning with the 2008-09 season, assuming the measure is approved May 25 by the Playing Rules Oversight Committee, the line will move back a full foot to 20 feet, 9 inches. The committee chose, however, not to expand the size of the lane.

The change could dramatically affect post play, who takes and makes a 3-point shot and at what percentage, and possibly lead to an increase in mid-range shot attempts.

"I'm not surprised, this is something that has been talked about for quite some time," said coach Billy Donovan of Florida, whose two-time defending national champion Gators were ninth in the country in 3-point field goal percentage at 40.9 percent. "I still feel that teams will continue to utilize the 3-point line as a key component of the college game. That being said, I think the next discussion needs to be about widening the lane in conjunction with moving the 3-point line back."

The women's committee decided to keep its line at 19 feet, 9 inches, meaning there will be two distances and, possibly, two different lines on courts that men's and women's programs share.

Keating said the lane width won't be changed. So, the line will now be three inches longer than the international line, giving high school players an ability to graduate to an international line, a college line and, perhaps, in some cases, to the NBA line of 23 feet, 9 inches.

His new coach, Mark Turgeon, said the distance will help coaches who are preaching shot selection.

"Too many players think they can hit that shot and it was hurting shot selection," Turgeon said. "It was getting to where all five guys were shooting it. Now [the 3-point shot] will go back to being more of a specialty role."

Source: ESPN

Oh I thought they were gonna move it back to NBA range..

what's the point if its not moving it to where it'd make the transition easier?

It will make it a little easier since it will be closer to where the NBA is but not that big of a difference. I think they should move it back to NBA range also

Billy Donovan Close to 7 Year Extension with Florida

Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan, who led the Gators to back-to-back national championships this past season and then turned down a lucrative offer to become Kentucky's coach, is close to signing a seven-year contract extension with the Gators that will pay him an average of more than $3.5 million per season, sources close to the situation said Thursday.

The new contract, which Donovan hasn't yet signed, will pay the coach around $3 million the first year. The contract then escalates to more than $3.75 in guaranteed income by the end of the contract in 2013-14, a person familiar with the negotiations said.

The deal also includes several performance-based incentives that could make the deal worth as much as $4 million per season by the end of the contract.

A source said Donovan, one of only 12 college basketball coaches to win multiple national championships, could sign the contract "in a couple of days, or a couple of weeks."

It is believed the contract would make Donovan the highest-paid coach in college basketball history, at least in terms of guaranteed money. Duke's Mike Kryzezewski, whose contract isn't privy to state open record laws because Duke is a private institution, is believed to make about $3 million, much of which is generated by outside endorsements. North Carolina's Roy Williams on Thursday received a four-year contract extension that will pay him $1.8 million per season, plus incentives. Williams' total package is believed to be about $3 million.

Donovan, who has a 261-103 record in 11 seasons at Florida, has five years left on a contract that pays him about $1.8 million per season. After the Gators won their first national championship in basketball in 2006, Donovan agreed to an extension that would have paid him about $2.5 million per season. But he delayed signing the new contract after his team's four sophomores -- forwards Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer and guard Taurean Green -- each decided to return for the 2006-07 season and delay entering the NBA draft.

Then the Gators beat Ohio State 84-75 on April 2, becoming the first team to win consecutive national titles since Duke in 1991 and 1992 and the first ever to win back-to-back titles with the same starting five.

Kentucky quickly contacted Donovan about replacing Tubby Smith, who left for Minnesota. But Donovan, a former Wildcats assistant under Rick Pitino, turned down Kentucky's offer and chose to remain at Florida.

Source: ESPN

Roy Hibbert Returning To G-Town For Senior Year

Georgetown center Roy Hibbert will return to college for his senior season, The Washington Post reported, citing a source with knowledge of the situation.

Hibbert and teammate Jeff Green were expected to announce their basketball intentions Wednesday afternoon at a news conference. Neither hired an agent when they entered the NBA draft, a move allowing both to retain their college eligibility should they change their minds. Both players have continued attending classes, the Post reported.

A month ago, Green told the Post there was a 70 percent chance that he would return for his senior season.

"School is only going to be here four years," Green told the newspaper. "The NBA will be there forever. You can't just give up that. That's a big thought in this process."

Both Hibbert, a 7-foot-2 center, and Green, a 6-9 forward and last season's Big East Player of the Year, have been projected as high first-round draft choices should they remain in the draft.

If both return to Georgetown, the Hoyas, who went 30-7 last season and reached the Final Four, would have a strong chance to dethrone Florida as national champions.

In April, Hibbert told the Post his odds of returning to the Hoyas were 50-50, and said his projected position in the draft would help him decide. The glut of talented big men coming out for the NBA, including likely No. 1 pick Greg Oden of Ohio State, Joakim Noah and Al Horford of Florida and Yi Jianlian of China, may have convinced Hibbert to continue his college career.

"Do I want to go eight through 14, or do I want to go top three next year?" Hibbert told the Post last month. "That does play a factor in my decision. ... I wouldn't want to be at the end of a bench on an NBA team, not being able to develop and show what I can do, so another year [at Georgetown] would be great, obviously."

Underclassmen have until June 18 to withdraw from the June 28 draft.

Source: ESPN

Kansas' Rush Out With ACL Surgery

Kansas guard Brandon Rush, who withdrew last week from the NBA draft, will undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee.

Kansas coach Bill Self said Rush will have surgery either later this week or next week. The Jayhawks' leading scorer injured his right knee in a pickup game last week when he landed awkwardly.

"There's no way to know how long it will take him to get back," Self told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "A lot will depend on how hard he works at rehab."

Rush averaged 13.8 points and helped the Jayhawks win a second straight Big 12 championship.

Self is hopeful Rush will be back sooner rather than later.

"The surgery is so much more advanced than it was just a few years ago," Self said. "If things go well, he may not miss any games at all. There's no way to know."

Rush was hurt in a way that was strikingly reminiscent of the knee injury sustained by his older brother, JaRon Rush, who played for UCLA.

When Rush withdrew from the draft, he stated the injury was not a decisive factor. He did not hire an agent, so his eligibility was not compromised for a return in his junior season.

"We did not announce the nature of the injury last week per Brandon's request," Self said. "Friday was an emotional day for Brandon as he had worked very hard in preparation for the NBA pre-draft camp. By law, we cannot comment on an injury without a player's consent."

Kansas already has lost sophomore Julian Wright to the draft from last year's 33-5 team. Wright declared and decided to sign with an agent, meaning he can't return to school.

Rush was projected to be a first-round pick in the June draft and had planned to play in the Orlando pre-draft camp, which begins Tuesday night at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex.

Kansas officials do not expect Rush to be around for his senior season in 2008-09. Self and his staff are recruiting with the expectation that he will enter the draft after his junior season.

Rush declared for the draft out of high school under the old NBA draft rules. He then declared again this spring under rules governing college underclassmen. Rush cannot declare for the draft again and still retain his eligibility.

Self said he would be careful in working his star guard back into action.

"We're not going to bring him back too soon," he said. "It will take a while after the surgery before he feels like he's ready to cut loose. He may miss some practice time, but we're hoping he may not miss any of the season."

In Rush's absence, the Jayhawks will rely even more on their three guards -- Sherron Collins, Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers. Early on, the Jayhawks could go with a three-guard look to complement a loaded frontcourt of Darrell Arthur, Sasha Kaun, Darnell Jackson and newcomer Cole Aldrich.

Source: ESPN