Brandon Goodwin will withdraw from the NBA draft and return to FGCU for his senior season, according to Jon Rothstein.
Brandon Goodwin is expected to return to Florida Gulf Coast next season, per a source. Entered 2017 NBA Draft without an agent.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 16, 2017
This latest ouput from the Rothstein source machine is a big win for the Eagles.
The point guard had a terrific junior season, leading FGCU to the NCAA Tournament and landing on the Atlantic Sun All-Conference First Team. He also led the Eagles in scoring (18.5 PPG), recorded the most Sports Reference win shares in the league (6.3) and generally produced highlights like these:
The UCF transfer should, along with Lipscomb’s Garrison Matthews, get strong consideration for preseason ASUN Player of the Year. His return should also plant the Eagles as the early 2017-18 league favorite.
It would be FGCU’s second significant offseason win, after the program appears to have survived without Joe Dooley stepping on the coaching carousel. He’ll now return most major contributors from a team that won 26 games and went 12-2 in league play.
With Goodwin in the fold, three of the team’s top-four scorers will be back, which includes fellow guards Zach Johnson (11.9 PPG) and Christian Terrell (10.2 PPG). The experienced back court will need to make up for hits that the Eagles will take in the front court.
The front court, which helped the Eagles dominate the offensive glass, loses key pieces in departing seniors Marc-Eddy Norelia and Demetris Morant. Dooley will, however, welcome in forward Brian Thomas, a Rivals three-star prospect, as well as Brady Ernst, a forward that spent a year with Iowa State before heading to junior college.