MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – To most people, Michael Beasley’s dilemma would be no dilemma at all.
Should the freshman All-American become an instant millionaire and take his skills to basketball’s biggest stage?
Or should he spend one more year at Kansas State, where he loves, as he often puts it, “just being a kid”?
It’s a tough enough decision that advisers and family members of the 6-foot-10 power forward were gathered over the weekend to help him make it in time for his own self-imposed deadline of 5 p.m. CDT Monday. That’s when Beasley has called a news conference on the Kansas State campus to announce if he’ll enter the June 26 NBA draft. He’s considered the likely No. 1 pick.
Nobody doubts his NBA potential. Quick, strong and agile, he had the second-most rebounds and third-most points of any freshman in NCAA history and led the Wildcats to their first NCAA tournament victory in 20 years.
“There’s no question in my mind who the best player in the country is,” said Kansas coach Bill Self. “It’s Michael Beasley. He may not win all the player of the year awards. But he’s the best player.”
One of Beasley’s advisers, Kansas State coach Frank Martin, has made no secret of his advice for the consensus All-American who averaged 26.2 points and a nation-leading 12.4 rebounds.
“I think he’s going to go, and I think it’s the right thing to do, because he’s going to be the top pick in the draft,” Martin said in an interview with The Associated Press.
His friends know him as a big, playful kid who will jolt teammates out of bed in the morning by shooting them with a water pistol.
The day he arrived at Kansas State as the most highly advertised recruit in school history, he talked about sticking around.
“I don’t want to be an athletic student,” he said. “I want to be a student-athlete.”
Nevertheless, most fans and basketball experts believe Beasley will turn pro no matter how much he enjoys college life.
“In life, you only have so many opportunities for certain things,” Martin said. “He’s got a huge opportunity right now. But there are a whole lot of different factors that go into play when you’ve got to make a hard decision. He’s got to make sure he does what’s best for himself and his family.”
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