James, who led the team in scoring and assists this season, has until June 18 to withdraw from the NBA draft, which is on June 28.,”Sophomore Dominic James declared himself eligible for the NBA draft Thursday afternoon in the Al McGuire Center. He will not hire an agent, which allows him a door back to Marquette for his junior season if he decides to stay.

James, who led the team in scoring and assists this season, has until June 18 to withdraw from the NBA draft, which is on June 28.

The 5-foot-11 point guard is waiting for an invitation to pre-draft workouts in Orlando, Fla. After those workouts, individual NBA teams can invite him to additional workouts. The feedback James receives regarding his draft status will help him make a decision.

"If you go second round, it's a completely different ballgame," James said. "You definitely want the guarantee of going first round. Second round, you can't control your own destination, and in the first round you control everything. Everything is guaranteed."

Only first-round picks are guaranteed contracts. If Marquette head coach Tom Crean's NBA contacts do not indicate that James will go in the first round, James said he would return to Marquette.

"I didn't do as well in the games as I know I can," James said. "I feel these individual workouts will allow me to show my talents as a player and things that they might not have been able to see when I was playing in the games."

For now, James will continue to practice with teammates and attend class. He has focused mainly on improving his jumper since the season ended, he said.

"This is a down year for point guards," James said. "There's not as many point guards going into the draft. I think this is a time that I need to take advantage of."

Ohio State's Mike Conley Jr., Texas A&M's Acie Law and Virginia's Sean Singletary are among the top-rated point guards currently eligible for the draft. There is a consensus among basketball circles that next year's point guard class will be much stronger.

"I feel like I've got the necessities to take my game to the next level," James said.

In 65 games at Marquette, James has averaged 15.1 points, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

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