Just a day after Elton Brand held a formal press conference announcing his decision to leave Duke, Will Avery followed suit yesterday, but not in the same manner.
The sophomore point guard told head coach Mike Krzyzewski late Wednesday night that he will enter the NBA draft, against Krzyzewski's wishes.
"I'm not in favor of William's decision at this time," Krzyzewski said in a press release. "We have done extensive research into the NBA for William and my conclusion was that entering the draft now would not be in his best interests."
Avery returned to his home in Augusta, Ga., yesterday and could not be reached for comment. His mother, Terri Simonton, did not answer phone calls.
Mike Cragg, Duke's sports information director, said no news conference is planned for Avery.
A source close to the team said yesterday that Avery had made this decision at least a week ago but hesitated to tell Krzyzewski when they met last Friday. At that point, and at Wednesday's press conference, Krzyzewski said he expected Avery would likely return.
"We feel really good about everything," the coach said Wednesday. "Right now, the only guy that we know of that's going professional is [Brand]. I still believe that what a young man
Krzyzewski's tone changed when he found out the unexpected news.
"Everyone is entitled to make their own decisions," he said in the release. "I certainly wish him the ultimate success in his future endeavors. We will try to help him achieve that success by whatever means we can at Duke."
The source reiterated that Avery stopped going to class and was having academic struggles, but that was not the only factor involved.
"He was just ready to go," the source said. "It's always been his dream to play in the NBA."
Norm Parker, Avery's AAU coach and longtime friend, told the News & Observer of Raleigh yesterday that finances were also a strong consideration. Parker referred to Avery as the man of the household and said the 19-year-old felt the responsibility to take care of his mother, grandmother, sisters and aunts.
Parker said he preferred that Avery return for his junior season but understood the factors involved.
Players on the team could not be reached for comment yesterday, although several did give their feelings on Avery's future at Brand's press conference.
"I'd rather see them stay," Chris Carrawell said of Avery and freshman Corey Maggette. "They're not like Elton. Elton's probably going to be [picked] 1-4. Maggette will be high and Avery too, but another year won't hurt them. It will help them."
Where Avery could go in the draft is uncertain. While Brand will almost unquestionably be a lottery pick, Avery will enter the draft with a number of other talented point guards, including seniors Jason Terry and Andre Miller along with potential underclassmen such as UCLA's Baron Davis. Scouts have suggested Avery could go somewhere in the middle of the first round.
He averaged 14.9 points and five assists a game this year and earned second-team All-ACC and honorable mention Associated Press All-America honors.
With Avery's departure, Duke has now lost at least four players from last season's regular playing rotation. Maggette is still undecided about his future, though indications are that he will return, and Chris Burgess has yet to make a final decision on whether or not he wants to go on a two-year Mormon mission. Burgess said Wednesday he won't determine his definite plans until mid-May.
The Blue Devils do have point guard Jason Williams, who won McDonald's National Player of the Year recognition, coming in next year as a freshman.
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