Baylor forward Quincy Miller has decided to hire an agent and enter the NBA draft, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Miller initially said he would return to Baylor for his sophomore season, but changed his mind with a few days to spare before the NBA's early entry deadline of April 29th.
Miller had been listed seventh overall among 2013 prospects by both DraftExpress.com and ESPN.com. In a stronger 2012 draft class, he doesn't figure to rank quite as highly, but Spears hears from an NBA scout who believes Miller could be picked around 15th overall. The freshman is expected to hire Dwon Clifton as his agent.
"I apologize if I excited too many people, but I feel like this is the best move for me," Miller told Spears, on leaving Baylor. "I love Baylor so much. I love the campus. I love the university. I love everything about Baylor. But I think for myself right now this was best for me."
Miller's decision reflects how underclassmen can work around the NCAA's April 10th withdrawal deadline. By initially electing to stay at Baylor, the 6'9" forward gave himself an extra two and a half weeks to make a decision on whether to enter the draft. Had he declared his intent on April 10th, he would have forfeited his remaining NCAA eligibility.
Hoops Rumors' full list of NCAA early entrants for the 2012 draft can be found here.