April 6, 2006
RENO, Nev. - Comments from Nevada junior forward Nick Fazekas on his decision to declare himself eligible for the 2006 NBA Draft but not hire an agent
Press Conference - April 6, 2006
Junior forward Nick Fazekas
On which teams he will work out for:
"Coach Fox and I have discussed that. We have figured out a lot of different cities around here that I can go to and fly myself around for cheap as far as my family goes. I also have some family that has offered to help me out as far as going out east and flying far from home with the expensive trips."
On making the decision:
"I had an inkling that I wanted to go. I've gone back and forth. College has been great. There's no reason to say that it is over. Coach Fox and I have gone back and forth, weighing the plusses and the minuses. We both just felt that it would be good to test the waters."
On whether the decisions made by other players entered into his decision:
"Coach Fox has brought up examples of Nick Collison, Raef LaFrentz and even Paul Pierce from Kansas. They have boosted their draft pick status by staying for their senior year. They are good examples, but there are also some bad examples out there. That went into the decision as well."
On whether he has talked to former Wolf Pack star Kirk Snyder, who is now playing for the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets:
"I've talked to Kirk. He just says `do what you think is best and make the best decision you can.'"
On finally announcing his decision publicly:
"It's nice to put it out there. I've been working out for about two weeks. Just to finally let you guys know and put my name out there to let the country know is a big deal. As far as thinking about it all the time, Coach Fox and I have known for about a week that I was going to do this. It was just a matter of time before I told the media."
On his impressions if he has played his last game at the University of Nevada: "I have great impressions of this place. It has been the greatest decision of my life so far to come to the University of Nevada and play in front of all of these Reno fans. I couldn't have made a better decision to come and play for Coach (Trent) Johnson and then have Coach (Mark) Fox take over the job. It's really just been a plus for me. It's put me in a good position to fulfill one of the dreams I have had for so long. If that (the NCAA Tournament) was the last time I put on a Nevada jersey, I have a lot of great memories here."
On whether being a first- or second-round pick in the NBA Draft will ultimately make his decision:
"There's no need for me as a junior to not come back and play my senior year if I am going to be a second-round pick. I talked to the NBA Advisory Board last year, and they said I could have been a second-round pick last year. It's a waste of time for me to go in the second round; they are not guaranteeing anything in the second round. More than likely, if I am not a first-round pick, then you will see me back here."
On thinking about the NBA during the season:
"I kind of used reverse psychology through the year. Last year, it was bad for me to think about the NBA all the time. Like Coach Fox said, he really thought I was grounded and did well with the NBA this year as far as not thinking about it. Really the more that I didn't think about it, the better off I was. If I didn't think about the NBA, I was playing well. If I was just worried about winning the game we were going to play that night and not worried about impressing people and trying to put up certain numbers and do things I wasn't capable of doing, that was what really helped me. Thinking about college and about winning as many games as I could was what really helped me this year."
On how his parents feel about his decision:
"My folks feel like it a good decision right now. I talk to my dad on a daily basis about this decision, and I've even talked to my mom. We've talked about it a lot on the phone and really decided that this is probably what I wanted to do because nothing can go wrong right now without getting an agent."
Nevada Head Coach Mark Fox
On the process:
"The deadline to withdraw is not until June, but until the final draft pool is released, somewhere around the first week of May, we will not have contact with (NBA) general managers. We have applied to the NBA's Advisory Committee, which we do every year. We did this a year ago. That committee, led by Stew Jackson with the NBA, will give Nick some preliminary information on his status in the eyes of the NBA. Once the May deadline passes, then he will be able to speak with teams, interview with teams, certainly work out and get more information."
On his feelings regarding Nick's decision:
"Everyone asks if I understand it. From day one, when Nick was in high school, this was his dream. I am extremely happy for him that he is having a chance to pursue it. He has not closed the door on his senior year. He's just going to declare for the draft and be able to get an education from the NBA on where he stands. Then he can make an educated decision. I couldn't be happier for him. As a coach, you want your players' dreams to come true. Sure if I was selfish, I would say `you shouldn't go out and you should come back,' but that's not the right thing to do. I am extremely happy for Nick, and I am extremely proud of him because he is handling it in a mature way and will make an educated decision. We've met about the NBA about every two weeks throughout the season, and Nick has stayed extremely grounded and has made extremely mature decisions in the last few weeks to remain in school and will continue to do that."
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