Lehigh guard C.J. McCollum led the Mountain Hawks to their one shining moment in the NCAA tournament last month. Now, he's returning to school for an opportunity at an encore performance.
McCollum officially took his name off the NBA draft list Monday, one day before the NCAA deadline to withdraw. The 6-foot-3 junior from Canton, Ohio, had declared for the draft March 27 but did not hire an agent, allowing him to return to school.
"It was definitely a tough decision, but I look forward to the upcoming season," McCollum said in a school press release. "I feel like I have unfinished business left here at Lehigh. We can definitely make another run. I'm excited to see what happens."
McCollum was one of the stars of the NCAA tournament's opening weekend when he scored 30 points to lead No. 15 seed Lehigh to a stunning 75-70 victory against No. 2 Duke in the round of 64. It represented Lehigh's first victory in NCAA tournament history.
Last season, McCollum led the Mountain Hawks in points per game (21.9), rebounds (6.5), assists (3.5) and steals (2.6) and shot 44.3 percent from the field. In his three-year career, he has scored 2,074 points, the second-most in school history and third in Patriot League history.
"C.J. was pretty clear with his intention that he'd love to have the opportunity to explore this," Lehigh coach Brett Reed said when reached by phone Monday. "For me as a coach, I just wanted to support him in any way that would be to his best interest. If that included him leaving our program and having a chance to contribute at a high level for an NBA team and get drafted, well that was a lifelong dream for him.
"I wanted to try to help him as best I could. I'm pleased with the team we have coming back, which is a strong nucleus of players off a team that was successful this past year."
With McCollum's return, Lehigh should be the instant favorite to win the Patriot League and make a return trip to the NCAA tournament.
Lehigh brings back its top four scorers: McCollum, 6-9 forward Gabe Knutson (12.2 points), 6-7 forward Holden Greiner (9.4) and 6-0 point guard Mackey McKnight (8.8).
"There are a number of positive things to build from," Reed said. "A number of key experiences that we were able to draw from even this year that ultimately can help bolster us moving forward and continue to put us in position once again for championship contention."
Reed indicated that McCollum received information from the NBA draft advisory board that placed him anywhere from the middle of the first round to the second round. Given that uncertainty, and McCollum's inability to work out for pro teams individually and return to college under new NCAA rules, his decision to come back to Lehigh was made easier.
If there is an area in which McCollum can improve next season, Reed said, it's his strength.
"I think C.J. can grow physically," Reed said. "He was a little bit physically underdeveloped coming out of high school. He's worked extremely hard in the weight room and strengthened his body. But there's opportunity, especially as you look at grown men playing in the NBA and the amount of strength that they have. So that's an area that I know that he's focused in on.
"I also think another year of experience, just being involved in pick and rolls and leading a team and all those things can ultimately help his development as he moves into a potential lead guard in the NBA."
Follow Jesse Temple on Twitter.
