Oregon State's Marcel Jones Declares for NBA Draft

“This announcement might surprise some people, but I think it will turn out to be a positive for Marcel,” OSU Coach Jay John said.

Marcel Jones led the Beavers by averaging 15.3 points this past season. Photo: OSU Athletics

CORVALLIS - Junior forward Marcel Jones of the Oregon State men’s basketball team announced today that he will make himself available for the 2007 NBA Draft by placing his name on the early-entry list.

However, Jones does not intend to hire an agent and has indicated that he is likely to return to the Beavers for the 2007-08 season.

“I think I will learn a lot going through this process,” Jones said. “It’s a great opportunity to hear some constructive criticism about my game from people in the NBA and how I can make myself a better player. It’s going to be tough and the process is going to be extensive, but it’s going to teach me a lot. It’s a chance to see where I’m at against all the great players across the country.

“My plan is to come back to Oregon State. But I’d like to test the waters and see what happens. It’s a dream of everybody that plays college sports to further their careers professionally. If I don’t stay in the draft, then when I come back to OSU I know people will have raised expectations for me. I’ll come back a better player and ready to make us a better team.”

Jones (Los Angeles, Calif./Mater Dei HS), a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward, was Oregon State’s leading scorer as a junior as he averaged 15.3 points (eighth in the Pac-10 Conference).

He was also fourth in the Pac-10 in steals (1.5) and 15th in rebounding (5.7).

He has been one of the Pac-10’s most improved players over his three seasons, as he went from 3.9 ppg as a freshman to 9.2 ppg as a sophomore to his current numbers.

Jones had nine games in 2006-07 with 20 or more points, including a career-high 35 at Northern Colorado.

The early-entry deadline for underclassmen to place their name in the draft pool is April 29th. The deadline to withdraw from draft consideration is June 18th. The NBA Draft will be held on June 28th.

As part of the process, Jones will get feedback from NBA scouts. He hopes to attend the NBA pre-Draft camp in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., from May 29th-June 4th, and could also take part in workouts with various NBA teams.

He must do so at his own expense to maintain his collegiate eligibility.

Jones will not take classes at OSU during spring quarter while he pursues this opportunity.

To remain eligible, he will need to return to OSU to pass summer quarter classes.

“This announcement might surprise some people, but I think it will turn out to be a positive for Marcel,” OSU Coach Jay John said. “He’s done a fantastic job academically so it won’t hurt him to be gone for a quarter. He’s made a great amount of improvement on the court over the course of his time here.

“As coaches, it’s unfortunate that the NCAA limits the time that we can spend helping our players to develop and get better. If Marcel handles his time wisely while he’s gone, he may be able to get 50-75 more hours of supervised work than he would here. That would be an enormous benefit to Marcel, and it will in turn help our program.”

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