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Thursday, May 30
Updated: Friday, May 31, 1:42 PM ET
Marcus expected to return to Hilltoppers
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
Western Kentucky senior center Chris Marcus is expected to withdraw from the NBA draft Friday and return for his fourth season of eligibility, fifth season at the school, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com on Thursday.
The school has called a "major news conference,'' for Friday at 5 p.m. ET with Marcus and Western Kentucky coach Dennis Felton. Marcus needs to take one summer-school class to earn his college degree and earn back his fourth season of eligibility after being ineligible for his freshman season at the school.
|  | | An ailing foot kept Chris Marcus from playing his best basketball last season. |
The 7-foot-1 Marcus, who was a potential late lottery pick, didn't sign with an agent and hasn't conducted any predraft workouts. The NBA failed to get Marcus to return phone calls as to whether he would accept an invitation to play in the Chicago pre-draft camp next week at the Moody Bible Institute. NBA teams have been waiting for a chance to watch Marcus, who hasn't signed with an agent. But their pleas have been to no avail.
Marcus was considered the top senior in the 2002 draft, and his departure would mean that either Fresno State fifth-year senior power forward Melvin Ely and/or Gonzaga fifth-year senior point guard Dan Dickau could be the first senior drafted. But neither is projected to be selected until the mid-to-late teens in the first round or lower. The first senior taken in the 2001 draft was at No. 6 when the Grizzlies selected Duke's Shane Battier. Only four seniors were selected in the first round of the 2001 draft.
Marcus' departure would also leave Stanford junior Curtis Borchardt, who hasn't determined that he is staying in the draft, as the top American center. Borchardt is projected as a lottery pick behind China center Yao Ming at what would become one of the weaker positions in the draft. Marcus' absence would help frontcourt players like UCLA's Dan Gadzuric, Duke's Carlos Boozer, USC's Sam Clancy, Arkansas State's Jason Jennings and foreign players like Turkey's Fatih Solak, Georgian national Zaur Pachulia and Yugoslavian Nenad Krstic move into or higher in the first round.
Marcus played sparingly during the 2001-02 season, participating in only 15 games because of a stress fracture in his foot. He's still the school's all-time leader in blocked shots with 212. He averaged 15.9 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Hilltoppers. Western Kentucky lost to Stanford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as Borchardt outplayed Marcus in the highly touted matchup. But a Marcus return could mean a preseason top 25 ranking for the Hilltoppers next season.
Marcus wasn't in his best playing shape when he returned to the court for the final 12 games. Concerns have risen over the health of his foot and his playing condition. Giving him another season and more time to rest his foot this summer should allow him to move higher in the 2003 draft, possibly into the top 10.
Marcus didn't play much basketball prior to arriving at Western Kentucky and played in only 100 games in high school and college. He has been compared to the Clippers' Michael Olowokandi, who didn't play much basketball before going to the University of the Pacific from England.
Ohio junior forward Brandon Hunter became the first player to withdraw from the draft last week after declaring by the May 12 deadline. Underclassmen who haven't signed with agents, or a senior like Marcus who could still return next season, have until June 19 to withdraw from the June 26 draft and retain their eligibility.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
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