Randolph chooses uncertain draft prospects over Duke

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Posted 5:26PM on Tuesday, June 21, 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Duke forward Shavlik Randolph has decided to stay in the NBA draft, ending a disappointing three-year stay in Durham marked by injuries and unfulfilled expectations, the school said Tuesday. Randolph, a 6-foot-10 junior, met with members of the Duke coaching staff to inform them of his decision Tuesday, the deadline for underclassmen to remove their name from the draft and return to school provided they had not hired an agent, Duke athletics spokesman Jon Jackson said. Coach Mike Krzyzewski was unavailable for comment Tuesday, Jackson said. Randolph's father, Kenny, did not immediately return phone calls for comment. Randolph's announcement that he was entering the draft raised plenty of eyebrows. He arrived at Duke as a McDonald's All-American and one of the state's highest-profile basketball recruits in 2002, but he averaged just 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots in 92 career games. Randolph's surprise declaration fueled speculation that he was unhappy at Duke, which returns six of its top eight players from last season's 27-6 Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship squad. The Blue Devils also add one of the nation's top recruiting classes, which includes 6-10 forward Josh McRoberts. Kenny Randolph said last month that he expected his son to return to school for his senior season. He said Shavlik was using the NBA evaluation process to find out how he needed to improve to fulfill his dream of playing in the league. ``Nobody's saying he's not coming back to Duke,'' Kenny Randolph said. ``He's very happy at Duke University. He's very honored to be part of the program. ... It's just all about competing and getting better and seeing how good you've got to get.'' Randolph's stats were hardly the kind of numbers people expected when he signed with the Blue Devils out of nearby Broughton High School in Raleigh. Randolph the grandson of former North Carolina State great Ronnie Shavlik has rarely displayed the all-around game that made him the target of intense recruiting battles between Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State and several other schools. Part of the reason has been development-hindering injuries, beginning with left hip surgery after his freshman season. He played in all 37 games in 2003-04, averaging a modest 7 points while starting just 10 games for a Final Four team. Last season, Randolph missed four games with mononucleosis. (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)