6-10 senior withdraws from NBA Draft after admitting he was leaning toward turning pro
San Diego State senior Nathan Mensah announced his decision to return to college basketball for a fifth and final season, adding the Mountain West defensive player of the year to what already was a deep, veteran, talented roster that, on paper, could be among the best teams in program history.
“It was a business decision, and that’s what I wanted it to be,” Dutcher said. “It had to be a business decision, because we’re talking about professional opportunities, making money, setting himself up for his future. The one thing I’ve always known about Nate is he’s always insightful, he’s got his degree in marketing, he knows what he’s doing, and I knew he would arrive at a decision that would be best for him and his family.
Mensah anchored the nation’s No. 2 team in defensive efficiency last season, according to the Kenpom metric. But his offensive game has not developed at the same rate, with his scoring average dipping from 8.1 to 7.0 points last season and shooting accuracy from 57.9 to 48.2 percent. So, Dutcher figures, should an extra year of maturity, just as it did from the defensive side — transforming him from a freshman and sophomore who over-thought coverages and rotations to simply reacting as a junior and senior.
“I had the opportunity to go to Europe this year and play in a good league, in France or Spain,” said Mensah, who grew up in Ghana and left to attend high school in the United States. “The reason why I turned it down was because that wasn’t the goal when I first came to this country. The goal was the NBA. I didn’t want to take a shortcut and deviate from the mission I stated for myself.”
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