Unlike other early-entry candidates who pulled out of the NBA draft when they realized their stock wasn't as high as they hoped, New Mexico State's Troy Gillenwater won't be returning to college next year.
He removed himself from draft consideration after the NCAA's May 8 deadline but prior to the NBA's June 13 deadline, leaving himself in basketball limbo for a year.
According to ESPN.com, Gillenwater cannot petition to return to college with a suspsension a la Mississippi State's Dee Bost because the ex-New Mexico State forward has hired an agent and lacks the grades anyway. His only options are either to spend a year in the D-League or play overseas in hopes of improving his stock for the 2012 draft.
The troubling aspect of Gillenwater's situation is it's likely a precursor of what's ahead once the NCAA's deadline for players to withdraw from the draft moves from early May to early April next season.
Though the NCAA pushed up the deadline to prior to the start of the spring signing period so coaches will be better able to patch unexpected holes in their roster, the decision comes at the expense of the student-athlete. Players will have to determine whether to enter the draft without time to conduct workouts or gather sufficient feedback from NBA personnel, meaning there will surely be others like Gillenwater who realize they blundered by leaving college early yet cannot return.
Gillenwater averaged 18.9 points and 6.3 rebounds this past season for New Mexico State, but the 6-foot-8 forward was unlikely to be selected any higher than the late second round, if at all. At least he realized that soon enough to give himself a year to improve his game and work to get back on the NBA's radar.
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