Greg Monroe said immediately after Georgetown lost to Ohio in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last month that it wasn’t his last game for the Hoyas, and by all indications he is back on campus attending class and sticking to that declaration.
He certainly hasn’t shied away from Twitter banter with his teammates, including Chris Wright (@Cwright_4), who freely called Monroe (@G_Monroe10), “6’11 and a lottery pick,” in conversation about who has the most shoes. Wright didn’t specify if he meant 2010 or 2011.
Monroe told ESPN’s Andy Katz last weekend that he was undecided, and at least one NBA agent has said the buzz is that the sophomore center was leaning toward returning next year to Georgetown. If he does, it would make the Hoyas a leading contender to start the season as the nation’s top-ranked team. If he turns pro, he will likely find himself a top-10 pick in June.
Until Monroe makes his intentions clear, speculation runs rampant, but his choices are also running out. In past seasons, he would be the perfect candidate to test the waters and make it abundantly clear that he was coming back no matter what. Not this year.
With last spring’s NCAA rule change moving up the decision deadline to May 8 for players that declare for the draft and don’t hire an agent, Monroe has only four weeks to get on a national workout tour before having to return to Georgetown and finish the spring semester. It hardly would be a wise decision for any player concerned about his eligibility for the fall.
Last spring, Scottie Reynolds and Greivis Vasquez worked out for the Wizards the third week in May, and Reynolds took until the mid-June deadline to confirm that he was headed back to Villanova for his senior season.
Xavier redshirt sophomore Jordan Crawford won’t have that luxury after announcing his intentions to explore his options on Wednesday, and there are no guarantees for a fringe first-rounder that could well slip. Neither would Monroe, who needs to let the basketball world know: in or out.
