Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Hoyas’ Green, Hibbert Declare for NBA Draft

The frontcourt mates both said then that it was too early to decide, but last Friday they took the first step toward leaving the Hilltop a year early, submitting their names for the NBA draft.

“I just want to explore my options, see what my status is this year and see, going into next year, what I could be next year,” Hibbert, a 7-foot-2 center, said Tuesday.

Green said he was just surveying his choices as well.

“It depends on whether or not I’m ready,” the 6-foot-9 forward said Tuesday. “Its going to come down to a lot of me working out, getting better in the next month and a half to prove myself to the NBA scouts, and I’ll just take it from there.”

Although both players moved toward forgoing their final season of college eligibility, they left open the possibility of returning. Neither has signed with an agent and both say they would not do so until close to the early withdrawal deadline on June 18.

“I’m not just going to jump out there the first day and decide to go,” Green said of waiting until the deadline, which is just 10 days before the draft. “It’s going to take time, and I think I’m going to have to go through a couple workouts just to see where I’m at.”

Green was referring to individual workouts with NBA teams. Neither player plans to attend the NBA’s pre-draft camp at the end of this month, instead waiting until June to conduct their individual workouts.

“It’ll be fun,” Green said of the individual workouts. “Different type of level, different workouts. But if I go through some NBA workouts and I do decide to come back, it’ll help me out because I’ll know what to work on going into my senior year.”

Green and Hibbert rated the probability of returning to Georgetown for their senior seasons differently. Hibbert said he is split, “50-50,” while Green – the player more likely to leave early – said there is a 70 percent chance he returns, and just a 30 percent chances he goes to the NBA.

“Right now, 70-30 – 70 coming back,” Green said. “It depends on whether I’m ready. I still have a lot of things I need to work on to play at that level.”

In a deep draft with numerous quality frontcourt players – including Ohio State’s Greg Oden, Kevin Durant of Texas and Florida’s Joakim Noah – Green and Hibbert are widely projected to be lottery picks, although both said they were unsure of where they would go in the draft.

“People are talking about lottery picks, but you never know,” Hibbert said, mentioning the 8-14 range as a spot in which he may be picked. “Coach Thompson told me information is not great right now, so in the next couple of days we are going to find out who else is in the draft and see what’s good for me.”

Although some consider Green and Hibbert come as a packaged deal, both players insisted they would make their decisions independently. Each said the advice of their families and the coaching staff would be the primary factor in their decision, not the possible return of the other player.

“Jeff is in a different situation than myself,” Hibbert said. “Jeff was the Big East player of the year, on the all-conference team, East Rutherford most valuable player and [a third-team] all-American. Jeff is going to make his own decision based on what he needs and what he wants to do with his family.”

For now, both players say they are carrying on as normally as possible. Green and Hibbert are still attending classes so that they can stay on track to graduate, and continue to do their off-season workouts so that they will be prepared for next season, be it in the NBA or the Blue and Gray.

“I’m going to keep working out, whether I do come back or I don’t,” Green said. “But I’m going to keep working out, just trying to worry about my game. That way if I do come back we’d be a better team and if I do leave, I’ll be a better player.”

Both Green and Hibbert stressed the roles their families and Head Coach John Thompson III would play in their decisions, but Green acknowledged the reaction of the student body at Georgetown was also on his mind.

“A lot of students come up to me telling me they want me to stay and a lot are telling me to go,” he said. “A lot are telling me whichever way, if I do decide to go or stay, they’ll support me. A lot of love is coming from the students. And that’s why I love Georgetown.”

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