Maybe I'm Just Being Overly-Optimistic But

[Phantom Warrior]

I would not be at all surprised if Henry decides to stay for his sophomore season.

Obviously there would be three CONS to his staying at MU:

1. MONEY: It's hard to turn down millions of dollars.

2. The DREAM: Playing in the NBA is Henry's dream, and that dream is so close, he can reach out and practically touch it.

3. The INJURY factor: Serious injuries certainly do happen although I can not think of a single college player whose pro career was undermined by an injury in college.

All three are without question very powerful forces/incentives to take the money and run.

But there are also quite a few PROS on the other side of the proverbial coin.

1. COLLEGE: Henry may very well really enjoy being in college. I think almost all of us who had the opportunity to attend college look back on those years as some of the best of our lives. I know I do. Once one leaves college that unique life style is over - forever.

2. NBA LIFESTYLE: Not all college players, especially 19-20 year olds, are ready to, or necessarily want to, enter the adult world, and the NBA is definitely smack dab in the adult world.

3. PLAYING TIME: Henry played 34-plus mpg this year. While he almost certainly would be a lottery pick, that does not mean he would see much playing time. He could very easily be 11th or 12th man on some roster and spend a whole lot more time sitting on the bench watching than being on the court. Henry's defense, in particular, at this stage of his development may limit his minutes. Kris Dunn made the point when he was asked why he didn't opt for the draft a year ago that he wanted to play, not sit, and he still had a couple of areas of his game he needed to focus on.

4. WALLY: If, indeed, Wally also stays at MU next year, I think it's obvious that the two brothers are extremely close. That would be the last year they would play together and be able to hang around together. For a family that's as close-knit as the Ellensons, that could be an extremely crucial factor.

5. EGO:I don't mean this in a negative way - like Trump's ego - but in a positive way. Henry won some nice honors this year as a freshman, but if he returns, he could certainly be in contention for first or second team A-A, especially if MU does well. He could become next season's Buddy Hield.

Now, this, of course, could just be wishful thinking on my part, nothing more. And I am certainly not predicting that HE will decide to return. But I do think there are quite a few reasons why he might strongly consider postponing the NBA for one year, and I will not be at all surprised if he ends up back at MU.