Oklahoma State sophomore guard Marcus Smart returned for his sophomore season amid a lot of fanfare along with senior wing Markel Brown and junior wing Le’Bryan Nash last spring. Now the 6-foot-4 Smart will go pro, according to a report in the Oklahoman. The sophomore will move to Los Angeles to train later this week, according to the story.
“I’ve told my teammates and my coaching staff, this year was my last year here and I am declaring for the NBA Draft,” Smart said in the John Helsey story. “I have picked an agent, with the Wasserman Group, a great group of guys.
“Ready to rock and roll. I’m getting ready for the NBA Draft and I’m ready to start training.”
Smart averaged 18 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.9 steals per game in an up-and-down year that included a losing streak, a fan shoving incident and a return to the NCAA Tournament before falling to Gonzaga in the Round of 64.
“I had a great season here at Oklahoma State,” Smart said in the story. “It’s weird, because I didn’t go to the NBA Draft last year, I chose to come back – which I do not regret at all. A lot of people say I made the wrong decision. But who are they to tell me what I should have done? It’s me, not them.
“I believe I made the right decision. I get to do what I love to do.”
Smart is a likely lottery pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Last year, some viewed Smart as a potential No. 1 pick candidate before he returned to school and played against a strong group of freshmen that saw his stock slip a little bit.
