Va. Tech's Delaney declares for NBA draft

By Mark Berman

BLACKSBURG

Malcolm Delaney declared for the NBA draft on Wednesday but does not plan to hire an agent, meaning that the junior point guard could still return to Virginia Tech next season.

Declaring for the June 24 draft will allow Delaney to work out for NBA teams and get assessments of his pro potential. Not hiring an agent and pulling out of the draft by May 8 will allow him to come back for his senior year if he doesn't like what he hears from the NBA assessors.

"He's doing the right thing, just to get the feedback he needs so he can make a good decision," coach Seth Greenberg said. "We support him 100 percent. I've gotten some feedback, and he'll get direct feedback from the people he works out for. He'll have about three or four workouts.

"At the end of that, he'll evaluate it. Once the information is gathered, he'll be able to make a decision. I want to do what's in his best interest."

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Delaney averaged a league-high 20.2 points this year and was a unanimous pick to the All-ACC first team. One problem for Delaney: He shot just 38.7 percent from the field, including 31.1 percent over his final four games. He partly made up for that by making an average of nine free throws in his 16 ACC regular-season games.

"I decided to put my name into the NBA d raft to explore all of my options in order to better achieve my goal of getting to the next level," Delaney said in a statement. "It has always been my dream to play in the NBA, and I believe this will give me the opportunity to learn more about the process. "

Delaney has less time to make his decision than players have in the past. Because of an NCAA rule change, the deadline to withdraw has been moved up from last year's June 15 deadline.

Returning next year would give Delaney one last crack at making the NCAA tournament. But last week, he said that missing out on the NCAAs again this season will not have anything to do with his decision whether to turn pro.

Early last month, Delaney said he would consider at season's end whether to turn pro but wouldn't make "a dumb decision" because he knows Tech can be "great" next season.

If he returns, he would start the season as a favorite for ACC Player of the Year and might get some All-America buzz. That would be another reason to return, he said last month.

With Delaney, Tech could not only return all of its starters but also it s top 10 scorers from a team that tied the school record this season with 25 victories. The Hokies lose senior Lewis Wicher, who averaged 7.9 minutes a game, and little-used guard Paul Debnam.

Tech also announced Wednesday that backup center Gene Swindle will not return. Swindle played only one game as a redshirt freshman this year because he suffered a torn meniscus and additional damage to his right knee. He had surgery in December but might need another operation.

He will remain on scholarship and sit on the team bench, but his grant will no longer count as one of the team's scholarships.

"He's physically not capable of playing right now," Greenberg said.