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| | Friday, March 31 | |||||
ESPN.com | ||||||
| INDIANAPOLIS -- A source close to Iowa State junior Marcus Fizer confirmed that the Big 12 player of the year will announce his intentions to declare for the draft next Monday.
Fizer would become the seventh underclassman to declare for the NBA draft. The deadline to make it official is May 14.
Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy, named the Associated Press coach of the year Friday, wouldn't make it official but said he would encourage Fizer to enter the draft.
"A lot of people said Tim Duncan stayed and Marcus should, but Tim Duncan didn't have a family and wasn't married," Eustachy said. "Marcus is engaged and has children. He comes from a tough situation and needs finances. He'll get a degree and be very, very successful in the NBA and then in life."
Fizer averaged 23.2 points a game for the Cyclones in leading them to the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles. The No. 2-seeded Cyclones lost to Michigan State in the Midwest Regional final.
NBA scouts told ESPN.com that Fizer would likely be a top-five draft pick if he came out early. The 6-8 Fizer leaves a gaping hole on the Cyclones' roster after Eustachy also lost 6-11 signee Ernest Brown (Indian Hills Community College, Iowa) center to the draft. Brown left school and will declare by May 14.
Junior point guard Jamaal Tinsley said Thursday that he would return to school. Iowa State signed a top-five recruiting class (including Brown), led by Minnesota's Jake Sullivan.
"Our expectations will be lower with both leaving," Eustachy said. "But we'll be a good team with or without them."
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
| ALSO SEE Early-entry candidates for NBA draft Cincy's Martin, Cyclones' Eustachy nab AP honors AUDIO/VIDEO   Larry Eustachy says he is encouraging Fizer to go pro.wav: 185 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6  | |||||