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Lyons to return to Missouri next season
The Kansas City Star
No NBA for Missouri’s Leo Lyons this year.
Lyons, one of the most improved players in the Big 12 last season, withdrew his name from the NBA draft, assuring his return to Columbia next season for his senior year.
“I really want to graduate, and by staying at Missouri, that will happen,” Lyons said. “Second, I want to become the best basketball player I can be.”
Lyons, a 6-foot-9 forward, said the feedback he’s received from NBA teams influenced his decision. In several mock drafts, Lyons was showing up as a late second-rounder, if at all.
Lyons, a Topeka, Kan., native who played part of his high school career at Piper, led the Tigers in scoring at 13.1 points and topped the Big 12 in shooting accuracy at 58.3 percent. His Big 12 numbers of 14.3 points and 6.5 rebounds helped him earn a spot on the all-improved team selected by Big 12 media members.
Mizzou’s DeMarre Carroll, who averaged 13 points and a team-leading 6.7 rebounds, also declared for the NBA draft. His future remains uncertain.