Aaron Henry Withdraws from Draft, Returns to Michigan State
Sunday was a huge day for Michigan State fans, and their basketball team as two of their players made big decisions.
Aaron Henry told ESPN he decided to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to East Lansing, whereas Xavier Tillman Sr. elected to pursue a professional basketball career.
"This decision was based off wanting to maximize my opportunity to be coached by the best coach in the game in Tom Izzo and reach my dreams and full potential. I wanted to put myself in the best situation possible and not rush anything to make sure I start my career on the right foot. This was a tough decision, but Year 3 will be the year," Henry told ESPN.
Michigan State basketball is forced to replace Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman Sr. in the same year. It's no small task, even for Tom Izzo; however, he's seen improvements to Henry's game.
"Aaron has been here with us all summer, and these past three weeks has made it hard for me to advise him because he has made big strides in his shooting and ball-handling," said Izzo.
In their final year together, the two stars combined for 32.3 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game.
In Winston's absence, Henry will be asked to play a much larger role in the offense.
"Everyone is going to need to step up and be a piece to the puzzle. NBA teams want to see me in a bigger role, Henry said to ESPN. "They want to see me be the man on a team. I'm not afraid of that. Let's get to it."
As a sophomore, Henry averaged 10.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 44.1% from the field.
Henry's decision to return will only help propel the Spartans further and potentially win their fourth Big Ten Regular-Season Title in a row.
We are thrilled to have him back and appreciate the fact he kept us involved in a tough decision," Izzo said.
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