Facing the possibility of losing his star point guard early to the NBA for the second consecutive spring, Michigan basketball coach John Beilein took to his blog on Thursday to refute reports that freshman Trey Burke was already dead-set on bolting for the NBA.
Burke still has until April 10 to make his decision, and Beilein simply wanted to step in and point out that Burke's camp appears to still be in the information gathering process, and not necessarily doing so with one foot out the door:
First, I would like to note that Wednesday's reports of Trey Burke's decision to enter the NBA draft were premature.
My coaching staff and I have met with Trey and his parents several times over the past two weeks. Collectively, we have gathered and shared with each of them some necessary information that we feel will help Trey make the most informed decision for his future.
The Burke family has been very receptive to our assistance and appreciates that we have encouraged Trey to take his time and look at all of his options between now and the April 10 deadline.
Michigan fans are expecting the absolute worst-case scenario here, and it seems unlikely that Burke would stick around Ann Arbor after flirting with the NBA lifestyle for a few weeks. Scouts are projecting him as a late-first, early-second round pick if he ends up keeping his name in the pool of draft-eligible players.
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