Shannon Brown Will Remain In NBA Draft
6/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 8, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State junior guard Shannon Brown (Maywood, Ill.) announced Thursday that he has decided to remain in the NBA Draft and will sign in the near future with agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports and Entertainment, effectively ending his collegiate career.
"Shannon has decided to remain in the draft, and it's a decision I concur with," said Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo at a Thursday morning press conference. "It's been an incredible process from the standpoint of Shannon, his dad and advisor have been a treat to deal with. There haven't been any negatives about his workouts and that's what I'm most proud of. Still, the biggest compliments I hear about him are his strength, his toughness, his athleticism and the fact that he knows how to play on both ends of the floor and doesn't take a play off. There are no guarantees in this process, but at the beginning, we said `let's go through the process and make the best educated decision' and there is no question he's done that. It's not an `I hope' decision, but rather an educated decision.
"I feel very confident that this is going to work out for Shannon. When it's all said and done, this has been a pleasure. He's been a good guy to coach. He's worked his tail off and he's handled the process as well as you can handle the process that he's been dealt. He was quiet and humble and he earned his keep. He has the personality that he won't get big-headed. He'll stay focused and I think you'll see him get better each year. It's a very good decision that was thought out, acted out, involved the right people and for that, I hope Michigan State people applaud that it was done the best way it could be done."
Brown averaged 17.2 points in 2005-06, ranking third on the squad and sixth in the conference. In Big Ten games, he averaged a team-best 18.8 points, third-highest in the league, earning second-team all-conference accolades. He also improved his all-around game as a junior, averaging career bests in rebounding (4.4 rpg) and assists (2.7 apg), ranking second on the squad in both categories. Among his individual honors, he was named to the USBWA and NABC All-District Teams and was a Naismith Award candidate. Brown also excelled on the defensive end of the court, earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. This past season, he joined teammates Maurice Ager (19.3 ppg) and Paul Davis (17.5 ppg) to be the only trio in the nation with each player averaging more than 17 points per game. The three players shared MSU's MVP award as voted on by their teammates.
"As I went to different workouts, I got positive feedback from people that make decisions that I would go in the first round, and I felt it was time that I make my decision," said Brown via teleconference. "I want to thank Coach Izzo, all the coaches, my teammates and everyone who has supported me. Coach Izzo was supportive and told me the pros and cons of what he thought, but he was behind me 100 percent.
"I didn't know what to expect going into the process since it was obviously my first time. It's a fun process to travel and play basketball ... You have to have confidence in yourself to go out there and get the job done. You can't rely on what everyone tells you because it might not always be true. You have to put your faith in God, go out there and handle your business. When you go through this process, of course you want to get a guarantee from somebody saying that they are going to take you. That's the whole reason you are doing it, but you never know what might happen. You have to have faith."
In 2005-06, Brown became the 36th player in MSU history to score 1,000 career points. He currently stands 27th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,183 points. His other career highlights include being named Most Outstanding Player of the Austin Regional in the 2005 NCAA Tournament as Michigan State advanced to the Final Four.
The NBA Draft will be held June 28 in New York City. Since 2000, seven Spartans have been selected in the draft, including three in the 2001 draft (Jason Richardson - 5th pick; Zach Randolph - 19th pick; Andre Hutson - 52nd pick). Brown is the fifth Spartan underclassman to enter the draft under Izzo since 2001, joining Richardson (2001), Randolph (2001), Marcus Taylor (2002) and Erazem Lorbek (2003).
