Shane Larkin will enter NBA Draft

[MummyChunk]

From ESPN




CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Shane Larkin was told he was too short to be an
elite college guard, a theory he debunked with ease.

So now he's taking on a new challenge.

After leading Miami to the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season
and tournament championships this past season, Larkin announced Sunday
that he's forgoing his final two years of eligibility with the
Hurricanes and entering the NBA draft, where he's projected to be
chosen possibly as high as a mid-to-late first-rounder.


"I can honestly sit here and say this is the most difficult
decision I've ever had to make in my life," Larkin said.
"I've probably gone back and forth on this 100 times, just
because I love the university so much."

After all that, he's going forth, as are so many others who played big
roles for the Hurricanes in their 29-win season that saw them climb as
high as No. 2 in The Associated Press Top 25 poll. Despite rarely
looking for his own shot, Larkin led the Hurricanes in scoring at 14.5
points per game -- and the next five names on that list are all
departing seniors.

Still, Miami coach Jim Larranaga was beaming after Larkin broke the
news that had been expected for some time.

"This is another first for us," Larranaga said. "We've
had a lot of firsts this year. You know, a lot of things went really,
really well. And this is another milestone. If someone we're
recruiting in the future says 'Hey, have you ever had somebody go
one-and-done or two-and-done?' we can now say, 'Yes, Shane Larkin
did.' Before that, we couldn't. Shane's going to be the first."

Larkin, who lists his height at 5-foot-11, is the son of Baseball Hall
of Fame player Barry Larkin, who said Friday that his son was turning
pro unless there was some sort of epiphany over the weekend.

That didn't happen. Larkin said he finished his decision-making
process on Saturday, then texted Miami teammates around 2 p.m. Sunday
so they could hear the word from him.

"It really just came down to what was in my heart and what was in
my gut," Larkin said.

It also came down to what he saw.

When Miami lost to Marquette in the round of 16 of the NCAA
tournament, Larkin -- who spent the day before that game fighting
through an illness -- thought he would absolutely return to school
because he didn't want his college career to end on such a bad note.

He then saw the devastating leg injury that ended the season for
Louisville guard Kevin Ware, and Larkin's mind began to waver.

"I just thought to myself, if I did come back to school and
something horrific happened -- even though it's a one-in-a-million
chance -- if something horrific happened to me like that, would I be
able to live with myself, seeing that my dream was right here for me
to take," Larkin said. "That was just one of the main things
I was thinking about."

"All of the information he has received is that this is the time
for him to come out," Barry Larkin told The Associated Press on
Friday.

NBA advisers have told the 5-foot-10ￜ Larkin they project him to be
drafted somewhere from the middle of the first round to early in the
second, Barry Larkin said.

"It's a business decision at this point," the elder Larkin
said.

The Hurricanes were 48-20 with Larkin in their lineup.

Larkin was selected as the ACC's player of the year in balloting by
the league's coaches, and picked up no fewer than 24 individual awards
during the season and postseason. He's now going to have a hectic few
days while interviewing agents -- the first step in figuring out
pre-draft-workout plans -- and trying to finish his academic
requirements to close the semester at Miami.

Larkin said he will get his degree, which would fulfill a promise he
made to his mother, and even after making the announcement on Sunday
he was huddled with Larranaga to discuss his future academic options.

"I'm missing him already," Larranaga said. "I told him,
I just want him to be happy and I want him to come back here a lot