Chane Behanan has officially declared for the NBA Draft, as SNY.tv reported April 23 he would.
“I know that this is an incredibly difficult decision for a young man to make, having been through this in the past with guys like Marcus Fizer,” said Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy in a statement. “It is clear that Chane has all the tools necessary to be successful at the next level, and my staff and I fully support his choice to enter the draft.”
Behanan enrolled at Colorado State in January, and was slated to compete for the Rams at the conclusion of the fall semester next season. Instead, he will never play a game for them.
“After a lot of thought, I have decided to put my name into the NBA draft and begin my professional career,” said Behanan. “I want to thank Coach Eustachy and his staff for the opportunity to continue my college career at Colorado State, and for their support over the past five months. This was a very difficult decision, but after speaking with my family, Coach (John) Lucas, and Coach Eustachy I knew that I had their support to make what I felt was the best decision for me at this point in time.”
Behanan is not projected to be drafted by DraftExpress.com, and one veteran NBA scout told SNY.tv it was a “mistake” for him to declare.
Behanan was cited for marijuana possession in Louisville earlier this month and has an April 29 court date there.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Behanan was a 2011 McDonald’s All-America selection and a Parade Magazine second-team All-American during his high school career. A first-team all-state selection as a junior and senior at Bowling Green High School, Behanan was ranked No. 27 nationally in the ESPN 100, 21st by Rivals.com, 23rd by Scout.com, and No. 16 by USA Today before enrolling at Louisville.
During his time with the Cardinals, Behanan played in 91 games with 74 starts and averaged 9.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, earning NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team honors while helping the Cardinals
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
And like ZAGS on Facebook