For some reason we were all surprised.
Most of us assumed the 6-foot-8 power forward who couldn’t buy playing time late in games would opt to enter the NBA Draft and would forgo his senior season.
But Alex Tyus never really had much of a choice but to return to school, although his father, Thomas Tyus, gave off another impression.
“I don’t think he has anything to gain by returning to the University of Florida basketball wise,” Thomas said to the Orlando Sentinel. “I just feel he just has not developed his full potential. … He can go back and get his degree any time.”
If Tyus hasn’t fulfilled his potential in the 70 games he has started during the last two seasons, I don’t know if he ever will max out his talent.
On a squad that narrowly made the NCAA Tournament last season, Tyus averaged 11.8 points per game (fourth highest on the team), while committing three and a half turnovers for every one assist he dished out.
Those aren’t exactly the numbers team executives like Pat Riley are looking for in a first-round draft pick.
With that being said, we should commend the rising senior’s decision because it was the right one.
When he entered his name into the crapshoot that is the NBA Draft, Tyus said he would not leave UF unless he was guaranteed to be a first-round selection. He stuck by that sentiment.
ESPN’s Chad Ford and Andy Katz both believed it was very possible he would go undrafted and advised Tyus to return to school when making their NBA Draft projections. With only 60 players drafted into the NBA each year, Ford had him as the 116th best player on his board.
Taking all that into account, nobody should have been caught off guard to learn of his return last weekend.
Tyus did the same thing he did last season when he threatened to transfer.
But this year’s decision will benefit the team more than it does Tyus.
The Gators will now bring back all five starters from last season and are poised to be a top-three team in the Southeastern Conference next year.
CBS’s Gary Parrish ranked Florida as the 10th best team in his preseason top 25, which was released yesterday.
On the other hand, Tyus’ decision to return won’t necessarily help his draft stock much.
He will be spending most of his time at power forward next season, despite contending that his natural position is at the three. But Chandler Parsons has already won that role after a stellar junior year.
And it’s not like Tyus won’t have competition at his position. For some reason coach Billy Donovan didn’t trust him at the end of games as he opted to use Dan Werner in crucial situations most of the time instead.
This year Tyus will have to compete with UF’s new five-star recruit Patric Young for time in the front court.
Still, coming back was his only option and the team will be better for it. Tyus on the other hand, I’m not so sure about.
