There's little chance Pittsburgh's Ashton Gibbs will be a first-round draft pick this June, so it was widely assumed he'd return for his senior season even after he announced he was testing the waters earlier this month.
Now come some signs that may not be a foregone conclusion.
According to a report from The Daily's Dan Wolken on Tuesday morning, Gibbs has been interviewing agents and told at least one he's "100 percent" certain to stay in the draft. Gibbs' father responded to that story, telling Rivals affiliate Pantherlair.com that his son hasn't made a decision yet.
"He's not 100% set on anything," Temple Gibbs said. "We're going through the process, but we haven't been meeting with agents."
Whatever Gibbs decides will have a huge impact on whether Pittsburgh can contend� in the Big East again next season. The Panthers already graduate seniors Brad Wanamaker and Gilbert Brown off last year's conference championship squad, so they can ill afford to also lose Gibbs' 16.8 points per game or 49 percent 3-point shooting.
Although the 6-foot-2 Gibbs lacks the size NBA scouts look for in a shooting guard and� struggles to get to the rim as easily as most pro guards, there are reasons for him to strongly consider turning pro as a junior instead of a senior. By all accounts the 2012 draft is likely to be far stronger than this year's, meaning he may have a better chance of playing his way into a guaranteed contract this spring.
The decision for Gibbs may come down to whether the chance to make one more bid for a Final Four is worth facing slightly longer odds to make the NBA as a rookie.
If Gibbs returns, forwards J.J. Moore and Dante Taylor blossom and elite recruit Khem Birch makes an immediate impact, it's conceivable for Pittsburgh to once again be in position for a favorable NCAA tournament seed. If Gibbs does leave, however, there may be too many question marks for the Panthers to avoid a rare rebuilding year.
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