Markus Howard to Forgo 2019 NBA Draft to Return to Marquette for Senior Season

Coming off his best season at Marquette, Markus Howard will continue his development on and off the court next season by returning to school.

Howard announced on Twitter he would be back with the Golden Eagles for his senior season:

Howard going back to Marquette isn't a huge surprise because his NBA draft prospects didn't appear to be very high. 

Prior to the start of the 2018-19 season, B/R's Jonathan Wasserman cited Howard's 5'11" frame and lack of athleticism as reasons to be skeptical of him as an NBA player. 

"His best chance to make an NBA roster will be as a scoring-spark specialist like Yogi Ferrell," Wasserman wrote.

Wasserman didn't include Howard among the top 75 NBA draft prospects last month. 

Rather than risk the uncertainty of professional basketball, Howard will remain with a team he knows well and is going to have high expectations in 2019-20. Marquette went 24-10 this season and earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament before being upset by Murray State. 

Howard averaged a career-high 25.0 points, 3.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game as a junior. He was named the 2018-19 Big East Player of the Year and is among the 15 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as the nation's most outstanding player.