The Missouri State basketball program can breath a sigh of relief.
After weeks of depth chart scrambling, coach Paul Lusk and his Bears basketball team will be getting back the most dynamic piece of their roster next season.
On Monday, leading scorer Alize Johnson confirmed that he will be returning to school next season.
Missouri State coach Paul Lusk told ESPN that Alize Johnson will withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to school next season.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 22, 2017
Johnson had previously declared for the NBA draft. Despite going through the entire draft process, Johnson wisely never hired an agent. In doing so, he retained his NCAA eligibility. He exercised his option to withdraw his name from consideration and continue his education.
Johnson was a key contributor on a Bears team that showed improvement last season. In their sixth season under Lusk, the Bears posted their first winning record (17-16) in three seasons. Johnson lead the team in both points per game with 14.8, and rebounds per game with 10.6.
They will look to make the most of Johnson’s return, and hope to make only their third tournament appearance since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. Their last appearance was during the 1998-99 season under current UCAL coach Steve Alford.
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