<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Jackson State guard Trey Johnson, who ranks among the nation's top shooters and scorers this season, is now locked in on his next target: the NBA. Johnson said Friday he will skip his senior season and declare for June's NBA draft. "After the season I just had, the timing seems right for me in terms of making this decision," Johnson said during his press conference Friday on the JSU campus. "I feel that the (statistics) I put up really opened up some eyes out there." Johnson, a 6-foot-5 junior wing player, was the nation's eighth-leading Division I scorer, averaging 23.5 points a game for the Tigers this season. The Jackson native and former Murrah High star also ranked fifth nationally in 3-point shooting, connecting from behind the arc at a 43-percent clip over 32 games. Johnson's father, Clinton Johnson, said Friday that the family will not hire an agent. Under NCAA and NBA rules, Johnson would retain his college eligibility and could pull out of the draft and return to JSU for his senior season as long as he does not retain an agent. "We're all hoping and praying that this works out for Trey, and I know how hard he's worked for an opportunity like this," Clinton Johnson said. "But he's going to also leave his options open. This is about him testing the waters." By announcing his intentions to declare for the draft, Johnson hopes to receive an invitation to attend pre-draft camps in April and June. Johnson could also work out for individual NBA teams at their facilities without jeopardizing his college eligibility as long as he pays his own travel expenses. The deadline to apply for early entry is in mid-May. Underclassmen have until the week prior to the June 28 draft to withdraw their names from consideration. JSU coach Tevester Anderson said Johnson might be considered a long shot to be selected in the two-round NBA draft. But Anderson, who has coached players who have gone on to stick in the NBA such as Raja Bell and Shandon Anderson, said Johnson has the skills and work ethic to attract attention from NBA teams. "I've already talked with several scouts about him throughout our season," Anderson said. "He has a lot of upside, the good footwork and strong hands it takes to give yourself a chance at that level." That said, Anderson would like to see Johnson in a blue and white Tigers uniform one more season. Johnson was a consistent bright spot in a 15-17 season for JSU, which finished 10-8 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. He is one of three finalists for the Cellular South Howell Trophy, which will be awarded Monday to the state's top player at a four-year college. Johnson had some of his best games against the better teams JSU faced this season. He scored 25 against Alabama and 24 against both Memphis and TCU. "I feel like I can score with the best of them," said Johnson, who began pondering a jump to the NBA midway through the season. He said he spoke with several Mississippi natives on current NBA rosters, including Milwaukee Bucks guard Mo Williams, also a former Murrah standout. "They let me know that it wasn't a bad decision," Johnson said. "I had a pretty good year. You just never know if you'll be in this position if you come back next year."</div> Source Someone should slap this guy to reality, you played in a mid-major conference, didn't make it to the dance, and your declaring for the draft that is filled with guard?!?! Is this guy nuts....he's so damn egotistic, he'll end up in Europe in no time, maybe even China!
