Nevada junior Nick Fazekas entered the NBA draft Thursday but won’t hire an agent so he can return to school if he isn’t going to be a first-round pick.
“More than likely, if I’m not a first-round pick then you’ll probably see me back here,” he said.
Fazekas, a 6-foot-11 forward from Ralston Valley High School, finished 16th in the nation in scoring and 15th in rebounding this season, averaging 21.8 points and 10.4, respectively. He was named a third-team All- American by The Associated Press and was the Western Athletic Conference’s player of the year.
Fazekas is projected as a late first-round pick this year, which would earn him a guaranteed contract. If a player doesn’t hire an agent, he can withdraw from the draft by June 17 and retain his college eligibility. The draft is June 28.
Alabama-Birmingham: Former Indiana coach Mike Davis accepted an offer to coach the Blazers, The Birmingham News reported. Davis, 45, would replace Mike Anderson, who left to become coach at Missouri.
Seton Hall: Manhattan’s Bobby Gonzalez will be introduced today as coach of the Pirates.
Gonzalez coached Manhattan for the past seven years, leading the Jaspers to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2003 and 2004. He succeeds Louis Orr, who was fired last month after going 80-69 over five seasons.
Cleveland State: Gary Waters, who twice took Kent State to the NCAA Tournament but couldn’t get Rutgers there once in five seasons, was named to replace Mike Garland, who resigned last week after winning just 23 games in three years.
Rider: Interim coach Tommy Dempsey was hired as coach, becoming the third-youngest coach in Division I. Dempsey, 32, guided Rider to an 8-20 record.
SMU: Coach Jimmy Tubbs was fired after an internal investigation uncovered various NCAA violations. He went 27-30 over two years.
Women
Army coach Maggie Dixon, who led the Black Knights to their NCAA Tournament debut this year at age 28, was hospitalized in critical condition after collapsing.
Dixon was in the intensive care unit of Westchester (N.Y.) Medical Center after suffering an “arrhythmic episode to her heart” Wednesday, said her brother, Pittsburgh men’s coach Jamie Dixon. He declined to provide further details.
