Pargo opts out of draft

Gonzaga junior point guard Jeremy Pargo has decided he wants to be a senior point guard.

Pargo withdrew his name from NBA draft consideration Monday, the deadline day for underclassmen who haven’t signed with an agent. The draft is June 26th.

“Playing in the NBA is definitely a goal of mine and one I am confident I will accomplish,” Pargo said in a Gonzaga release. “But, at this time, I think it is in my best interest to return to Gonzaga for my senior year. I am excited about our team next year and expect that we will accomplish great things as a group.”

Pargo declared for the draft in April but said he wouldn’t hire an agent to maintain the option of returning to Gonzaga. He went through the NBA pre-draft camp and also had workouts with at least eight NBA teams (Seattle, Cleveland, New Orleans, Memphis, New Jersey, Boston, Washington and Toronto) in the last two weeks.

Pargo repeatedly said he would return to Gonzaga if he wasn’t receiving strong indications that he would be a first-round pick. He was projected as a second-round pick or free agent by nearly every on-line mock draft.

“That’s probably what I’m most proud of - the way he handled himself throughout the process,” Bulldogs head coach Mark Few said. “It was the right thing for him to do, to go into this thing and see exactly where he stood and I think it was a very informative process for him. But now I know he’s excited to come back and finish his degree and get with his teammates again.”

Pargo didn’t return a phone message.

Pargo relied on his older brother Jannero, an NBA guard, his coaches at GU and the feedback he received from NBA officials to make his decision.

“He needed to seek out this experience and everything and hear it from decision-makers and do it on his own,” Few said. “I was kept abreast of everything, but it was important that he knew I was supporting him. He needed to come to his conclusion so he could play with peace of mind (next year).”

Pargo’s return gives GU a formidable group of veteran players next season. The Bulldogs likely will be ranked in the preseason top 15.

“He’s an incredible piece of what we do and he gives us great experience coming back, so we’ll see how it all comes together,” Few said.

Few watched Pargo at the pre-draft camp.

“I thought he played really well in Orlando and it was the same with some of the feedback from his workouts,” Few said. “A lot of people once they’ve met him or got to go through an interview process with him or see him live, they can see his leadership, his personality and his toughness. I think it’s good they got to see that side of him.”

Pargo figures to improve his draft position with a solid senior season.

“A lot of people were very interested in him, but the constant feedback we got was that it is a deep draft and there are a lot of other guards,” said GU assistant coach Tommy Lloyd, who helped Pargo organize his whirlwind schedule the last three weeks. “Jeremy has another opportunity to come back and move himself into the upper echelon of guards next year.”

Lloyd said Pargo, who is on track to graduate next year, experienced “a plethora of emotions, from being maybe a little disappointed to being excited to be coming back. I know he thinks we’re going to have a great team and we’re going to have a great year.”

Pargo averaged 12.1 points and was named WCC player of the year last season while helping Gonzaga earn its eighth consecutive WCC regular-season title and its 10th straight NCAA tournament berth. He also led the WCC in assists (6 per game).

“He’s a kid that when it comes to life, he doesn’t make bad decisions,” Lloyd said. “He thinks things through.”