Xavier's Derrick Brown to stay in the draft?

It looks like Derrick Brown will not be returning to Xavier.

"Doubtful. There's a slim chance I come back to school", Brown told Jeff Goodman. "I'm in the draft. I'm not even thinking about anything other than that."

An athletic and versatile 6'9" forward, Brown's ability to play inside and outside will make him an intriguing prospect come the June 25th draft. He may end up being a first round pick, but few would be surprised if he slid into the second round.

"Right now I'm not even thinking about the second round," Brown said. "But if it happens, it happens. It wouldn't be the best thing, but it wouldn't be the worst, either."

Brown differs from a lot of early entry candidates in that he has already graduated from Xavier. He redshirted his first year.

If Brown does return, new head coach Chris Mack may have a top 10 team on his hands. Without him, the Musketeers still looks like a top 25 team, adding Indiana transfer Jordan Crawford and "Cheeky" Lyons to an already solid core of Dante Jackson, Terrell Holloway, Jason Love, and Kenny Frease.