Hickson indicates he plans to stay in draft
NC State freshman forward J.J. Hickson entered his name into the NBA draft almost immediately after the Pack's season was over, and he indicated in an interview done with the Phoenix Suns' Web site that he is not planning to return to NC State.
"I would say that I'm definitely in the draft," Hickson told the Web site. "I came out just testing the waters, but since I'm hearing a lot of good things about my game I'm not going to pull my name out."
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Hickson has not signed with an agent, but he is being advised by Andy Miller. ESPN's Andy Katz reported that Hickson would likely sign with Miller once he formally stays in the draft.
Hickson led NC State in scoring and rebounding during his rookie campaign. He averaged 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-9, 242-pound Hickson was a McDonald's All-American and five-star recruit coming out of Wheeler High in Marietta, Ga.
Phoenix is one of four teams that Hickson has worked out with so far. Seattle, Cleveland and Sacramento have also taken a look at Hickson. He is also scheduled to work out for Denver and Philadelphia. Most analysts have Hickson as a mid-to-late first-round draft pick in mock drafts.