tito coming back

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SoCalHoops College News

Tito Maddox Not Going Pro,
Will Return To Fresno State--(May 10, 2001)

Oh, what a goofball. . . what a kidder. . .that Tito, he just cracks us up. This past weekend we were hearing all the way back at the Spiece Tournament in Indiana that Tito Maddox (6'-4" Fr. PG), who was the WAC Freshman of the year this past season after using his last year as a redshirt in order to academically qualify, had decided to turn pro. We were hearing that Tito had signed with an agent, and based on prior news reports, the rumor mill had Jerry Tarkanian retiring also (really, how many times can Tark climb this mountain, and Tito was supposed to be the one to lead the Bulldogs back to the promised land).

Well, it was all just a lark. Not going to happen. Tito is coming back. A day following the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Sav-Mart Center, the new arena being constructed on the FSU campus, Tito informed head coach Jerry Tarkanian that he was withdrawing his letter which he had sent to the NBA declaring for the draft. Maddox, who had sent a letter to the NBA to declare for the upcoming NBA draft, told Tarkanian he is going to retract the letter and return for his sophomore season at Fresno State.

According to a published report, Tarkanian told reporters: "Tito came in this morning and told me that he has had a change of heart and wants to return next season. He and his mother feel it's in Tito's best interest to continue his education and his career at Fresno State. We are happy that he is going to return and with the core of players we have coming back I think we will be a very good basketball team."

Maddox, a freshman from Compton, Calif., ranked fourth in the NCAA in assists last season at eight per game. He was named the WAC Freshman of the Year and second-team All-WAC. He averaged 13.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

Given the huge number of players who have declared for the draft this season, it's probably a wise choice. We don't know what prompted it, but Tito will be better off if he can play an entire season and really accomplish some big numbers next season, and improve on Fresno State's second-round loss at the Tournanment.