Andy Katz (ESPN)

Ronny Turiaf never considered declaring for the NBA draft.

Got that? Never.

Turiaf doesn't know why his name continued to be on potential draft lists of players who were considering the draft, or included with those "on the fence" all the way down to Monday's deadline for underclassmen to declare.

The junior forward was even against putting out a statement through the Gonzaga sports information department Monday. But he was pushed to do so, and went along with the party line.

All the while, Turiaf was smart enough to know that he was likely a first-round pick, but not a lock.

"It never popped in my head, never," Turiaf said Monday from Spokane, Wash. "I always knew I was coming back for my senior year at Gonzaga."

And, so he will. And once again, the Zags will be a preseason top 25 team because of it.

Turiaf led Gonzaga with 15.7 points and was second on the team with 6.2 rebounds a game. But he had a penchant to get into foul problems in big games, none more costly or untimely than the three first-half fouls he picked up against Nevada in the Zags' second-round NCAA Tournament loss to the Wolf Pack. Turiaf would play only 15 minutes, scoring 13 points (five rebounds) in picking up four fouls.

"I've got a lot of work to do," Turiaf said. "Nobody knows how much pain and regret I have about that Nevada game. We strive to advance in March and what happened in that game (picking up too many fouls to be effective) will never leave my mind."

(article continues with breakdown of top returning NCAA players)