Dear Stephen,

You don’t know me, and you really have no reason whatsoever to listen to me, but I’m going to offer you some advice anyway. I hope you will listen to it because you know I am right – stay in school! You have another year of eligibility, and I beg you, implore you, and several other synonyms, to use it. Don’t just do this for me, though. Do it for yourself. Here are eight good reasons:

1. You obviously aren’t committed to turning pro. If you really wanted to then you would have done it long ago. You keep setting new deadlines to make a decision, and then keep pushing them back. Your gutting is telling you to stay in school, so listen to it.

2. You were born to play college ball. You own the game, you score at will, you are incredibly entertaining to watch, and the game is better with you. None of those will likely be true in the NBA.

3. You could make history. It will take one heck of a year, but there is an outside chance that you could become college basketball’s all-time scoring leader this year. How cool would that be?

4. This is not how you want to go out. You missed the tournament, and it wasn’t even close. You lost to St. Mary’s in the NIT. You can do better, and you need to come back to prove it. It worked out forTyler Hansbrough.

5. You are a 6’3″ natural shooting guard. How many of those do you see starring in the NBA? It could certainly happen, and I’m not going to bet against you, but you can spend another year where you know you will succeed before going to somewhere where you might.

6. You are scrawny. Really scrawny. With another year you might get bigger and stronger. Probably not, but it could happen.

7. You are the only reason Davidson has ever mattered. Ride that stardom one more year.

8. You are a handy bet. This is a selfish one, I admit, but I will throw it out there anyway. Two years ago you were a very nice 17-10 ATS. After that season you lost a good portion of yourscoring help , including a good point guard. The public never really seemed to adjust, and you went under in 60 percent of your games. You are a bankroll’s best friend.

Thanks for listening. Give me a call sometime.

Cheers,

T.O.