Stay in School?

Mike DeCourcy doles out the advice. He suggests N.C. State's Julius Hodge, St. Joe's Delonte West, Kansas' Wayne Simien, and Gonzaga's Ronny Turiaf return to school for their senior year.

I agree -- save West. DeCourcy is right, Delonte's size (6-4, 180) will probably make him a point guard in the NBA. But West is now a hot commodity. He played for a (temporary) national powerhouse, with a sure-fire NBA prospect, and impressed scouts with his creativity, passing, athleticism and outside shooting. If he goes today, he'll capitalize on this season's momentum. If he waits a year, he'll get lost in the shuffle.

Remember Miles Simon? After Arizona won the championship, he was rumored to be a lottery pick. Multiple mock drafts had him going at 10 or 11. But Simon returned for his senior year -- a not too shabby campaign where he put up solid numbers and led Arizona to a 1 seed and an Elite Eight appearance. Yet his star had faded, his fifteen minutes had come and gone, and Simon soon found himself a second round pick.

He has yet to contribute significant minutes to a single NBA franchise and today finds himself an basketball journeyman, playing in countries around the world.

With Jameer gone, Delonte may indeed get more opportunities to handle the ball, developing his point guard skills in the process. He may be a better NBA prospect after playing another year of college ball. But chances are, so was Simon.

Delonte should declare.