RealGM Basketball Wiretap

Gary Harris To Bypass Draft, Return To Michigan State

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:43:11 EDT

Gary Harris will return for his sophomore season at Michigan State.

Harris was projected as a first-round pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

"When the season was done, Coach (Tom) Izzo gathered a lot of great information and shared it with me and my family," Harris said in a statement. “After talking things over with my parents, it is my decision to remain at Michigan State.

"Playing in the NBA is definitely a goal of mine, and something that I've always dreamed of, but those dreams can wait for another day. I think additional experience and maturity will be huge in my development as a player.”

Harris averaged 12.9 points while dealing with an injury to his left shoulder.

Izzo confirmed that Harris will not need surgery during the offseason.

"He's been committed to his rehab and all indications are that he's making great progress," Izzo said. "There's no question that a healthy Gary Harris is one of the premier guards in the country."

Gary Harris, Adreian Payne Opted Not To Seek Draft Evaluations From NBA Committee

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:49:53 EDT

Gary Harris and Adreian Payne chose not to request evaluations from the NBA draft advisory committee.

Instead, Tom Izzo is seeking advice from NBA decision-makers.

One scout said Harris "has a good body,'' for the NBA, but "he's been inconsistent,'' concluding that as far as this year's draft, "I'm not seeing Top 10 when I look at him.''

Izzo Thinks Gary Harris Will Bypass NBA Draft, Return To Michigan State

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 15:27:30 EDT

Tom Izzo thinks Gary Harris will return for a second season at Michigan State.

Harris had perhaps his worst outing of the season against Duke – six points on 2-for-11 shooting – while allowing 29 points to Blue Devils fifth-year senior Seth Curry.

"I don't know if it was the pressure of being home, the pressure of the tournament, but I love the kid,” Izzo said after the Spartans' 71-61 loss to Duke. “He's going to grow and learn from this. That's what you do. That's why this tournament is so brutal."

Harris hinted at a possible return.

"We've got a lot of people coming back," Harris said. "We're only losing one player, so we're going to have a talented team next year, so we're just going to get ready to put in all the work in the offseason and preseason."

Izzo indicated Harris might need surgery to repair a lingering shoulder injury.

"You have not seen the Gary Harris I recruited yet," Izzo said. "Now he performed better in some ways than I thought he would as a freshman, but as far as the aggressive, take-it-to-the-hole, go-get-a-rebound, we haven't seen him yet."

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