After spending three years wading in the college basketball pool, ASU junior forward Ike Diogu will test the waters of the NBA.
Diogu announced Monday that he'll declare for the NBA draft, creating the possibility that he'll forgo his senior season. He hasn't signed with an agent. He has until June 21 to remove his name from the NBA draft, scheduled for June 28 at Madison Square Garden.
"I want to declare for the NBA draft, leaving my options open without an agent," Diogu said in a statement.
Diogu, the Pac-10 Player of the Year, doesn't plan on attending any pre-draft camps, but he will participate in private workouts for NBA teams.
Diogu's decision to declare was made after meeting with ASU coach Rob Evans.
"Ike asked me what I thought, and I told him he needed to test the waters and see what's going on," Evans said. "He agreed with that, and when I went and sat down with his folks, they agreed with the same thing."
Last season, there was speculation about Diogu leaving early, but Diogu decided to stay after discussing the situation with Evans. This year, there was a different outcome.
"Last year, he came in and went through the same thing and said he would probably like to test the waters, and I told him it probably wasn't the proper thing to do," Evans said. "He had some things he needed to address on the basketball court. He agreed and his family agreed with it."
Diogu's father, Edward, said his family also was involved in the decision this time.
"My initial reaction was happiness," Edward Diogu said. "For three years, people have been pounding and pounding and pounding him about it."
Diogu has let his numbers speak for themselves. He has scored in double figures in all 91 games of his collegiate career. He has averaged 21.4 points and 8.8 rebounds, and he ranks third in school history in scoring with 1,946 career points.
"It's a matter of draft status and where you are going to land," said former ASU guard Brandon Goldman, who played with Diogu for two seasons. "He's only going to get better staying another year, but can he really improve his stock that much? I don't really think he can."
The biggest uncertainty surrounding Diogu's draft status is his position in the NBA.
Diogu is listed at 6 feet, 8 inches and 250 pounds. In three years at ASU, he rotated between the center and power forward spots.
In the NBA, a player his size is expected to play small forward. However, Diogu doesn't have the speed of an NBA small forward, meaning he could be forced to play as an undersized power forward.
"I hear people say that all the time," said Phil Sirois, who coached Diogu at Garland (Texas) High School. "You either want a guy with height or a guy who can play. I'd take Ike Diogu over any guy who was 4 inches taller that wasn't very talented at this point. I'd take him 100 times over because he's going to do whatever it takes."
Regardless of his size, Evans knows Diogu has what it takes to succeed at the next level.
"Ike will be an NBA player," Evans said. "He's a great talent, and I don't have any doubt in my mind that he will be able to play in the NBA.
"He's going to get a chance to work out for teams and see the type of skill level he has. If you don't put your name in the draft, then you don't get a chance to see where you are in the draft. This is about making sure where his status is potentially in the draft."
The NBA draft figures to be stacked at the forward position. Utah sophomore Andrew Bogut and Louisville junior Francisco Garcia are in the mix, along with Syracuse senior Hakim Warrick, Kansas senior Wayne Simien and Gonzaga senior Ronny Turiaf.
There's no guarantee that Diogu will be a lottery pick. If that's the case, former ASU coach Bill Frieder insists Diogu should return for his senior season.
"He's obviously a great prospect, and I think he's handling it the right way," Frieder said. "I would suggest that no way you go unless you're a lottery pick. Anything less than that, I wouldn't consider it."
Sports editor Brian Gomez and assistant sports editor Jeff Hoodzow contributed to this story.
Reach the reporter at matt.reinick@asu.edu.
