(USA Today Sports Images)

After waffling for several weeks, Colorado forward Andre Roberson finally made up his mind Sunday and decided to turn pro on the final day for underclassmen to declare for the 2013 NBA draft.

Roberson finished second in the nation in rebounding and was named the Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year this year averaging a double-double over the course of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds per game.

“We support Andre and want what’s best for him and his family,” coach Tad Boyle said in a story published on the school's website. “We wish him the best.”

Boyle had advised Roberson to stay in school and work on his perimeter shooting and ball handling. A evaluation of Roberson done by the NBA committee that advises underclassmen said Roberson would likely be a second-round pick.

Demetrius Harris (screen grab via YouTube)

To Demetrius Harris, the voice message sounded suspiciously like a practical joke.

A man whose voice the Wisconsin-Milwaukee power forward didn't recognize dialed his cell phone in late March and introduced himself as a scout for the Kansas City Chiefs. The scout asked Harris to contact him as soon as possible if the 6-foot-6, 237-pound senior had any interest in trading his high tops for football cleats.

"I had no idea this was coming," Harris recalled. "I listened to the message like five times. I was like, 'I can't believe it. I don't think this is real.'"

It's understandable Harris initially assumed he was the victim of a prank because that explanation seemed more reasonable than an NFL team showing interest in him. Harris was once an all-state receiver and safety as a senior at Jacksonville High School, but the Arkansas native had scarcely even played touch football with his buddies since giving up the sport four years ago to pursue basketball in college.

Skeptical yet intrigued, Harris called the scout back later that day. He learned Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey became aware of his football past as a scout for the Green Bay Packers and made a note in his calendar two years earlier to remind himself not to forget about the promising receiver turned power forward.

Since Harris had little chance of pursuing professional basketball and was only a few months from graduating, he eagerly accepted an invitation to work out for the Chiefs in Milwaukee on April 5. That left him barely a week to prepare for the most important interview of his life, a workout in which he would have to prove to the Chiefs he had the potential to make the same transition from basketball that NFL stars Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham once did.

(USA Today Sports Images)

Colorado coach Tad Boyle and forward Andre Roberson were supposed to have a press conference Friday morning at the Coors Events Center in Boulder to announce whether Roberson would be returning for his senior season or turning pro.

The press conference was canceled when Roberson still hadn't made up his mind late Thursday night after meeting with Boyle and his parents.

To some, Roberson's decision seems simple. He is viewed as a second-round pick in the June draft, the evaluation he received from the league said as much. So the conventional wisdom says he should return for his senior season and try to make improvements in his game to move into the first round a year from now.

The problem is, the 2014 draft is expected to be much deeper than the 2013 draft and it could be that much harder for Roberson to break into the first round in a year.

Rick Pitino shows off his new tattoo (via Kenny Klein)

After his team fell to a pedestrian 7-4 in the Big East with a five-overtime loss to Notre Dame in mid-February, Louisville coach Rick Pitino boosted the Cardinals' spirits by promising to get a tattoo if they won the national championship.

A closer look at Rick Pitino's tattoo (via Kenny Klein)They held up their end earlier this month, so now Pitino has as well.

Louisville sports information director Kenny Klein tweeted the above photos early Friday morning of a shirtless Pitino showing off his fresh ink. The tattoo beneath his left shoulder features a Louisville script "L" logo adorned with the words "2013 NCAA Champions 35-5"

Credit Pitino for not only following through on his promise quickly but also not wimping out with a barely visible tattoo. That "L" takes up prime real estate on his back and appears to be about the size of a wallet.

The only remaining question now is what Pitino will do if the Cards go back-to-back, a real possibility with leading scorer Russ Smith announcing Thursday that he is coming back for his senior season. At

(USA Today Sports Images)

Former Notre Dame coach and current ESPN analyst Digger Phelps is battling bladder cancer, the network announced Thursday.

Phelps has already had surgery and will begin follow up treatment next week with doctors near his home in South Bend, Ind. Phelps has worked as an analyst for the network for 20 years and plans to continue in that role in 2013-14.

Phelps coached Notre Dame from 1972 to 1991. His 1974 team defeated UCLA to stop the Bruins' 88-game winning streak and his 1978 team advanced to the Final Four for the only time in Notre Dame history.

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Jon Severe (Screen Shot via Rivals.com)

In the 24 hours since Jon Severe announced Wednesday evening that he would be attend Fordham next fall, the state of New York's reigning Mr. Basketball has heard one question more than any other.

Why?

None of the friends, family members or reporters who have asked Severe that question mean to be disrespectful. They're just genuinely curious why the Christ the King High School standout would choose a struggling program that is 8-72 in the Atlantic 10 the past five years over the likes of Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Wake Forest and Rutgers.

"I think I can make a big impact at Fordham," Severe explained Thursday. "I think I can do a lot to help turn around that program.

"I get to stay home and I was comfortable with the coaches. They were just real cool. They recruited me, but they recruited me in a smart way. They weren't telling me, 'come, come, come.' They got to know me more."

[Also: Former Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps has bladder cancer]

Severe won't make Fordham an instant Atlantic 10 contender, but his decision to join the Rams could be a turning point for coach Tom Pecora in his attempt to revitalize a program that hasn't reached the NCAA tournament since 1992. Fordham has finished in the bottom two in the Atlantic 10 each of Pecora's three seasons at the school, though a total of six league wins the past two seasons represents modest improvement since the Rams lost 41 consecutive conference games from Jan. 2009 to March 2011.

Doug McDermott (Getty Images)

It was no surprise Doug McDermott waited until three days before the NBA deadline to figure out whether to enter the draft or not because the Creighton junior had one of the more challenging decisions of any potential prospect.

On the one hand, McDermott had little more to prove by returning to college considering he averaged 23 points per game each of the past two seasons and shot an absurdly high percentage both years. On the other hand, McDermott would be giving up more than most prospects by forgoing his senior year.

In the end, McDermott decided another year playing for his dad and the chance to lead Creighton in its first year in the Big East meant too much to him to give that up. As a result, McDermott announced on Twitter on Thursday evening he intends to return to Creighton for his senior season.

"Just wanted to thank my team, coaches, family, and friends for the support throughout this tough decision," McDermott said in a series of three tweets. "It has been a difficult process. With that being said ... I will be returning to Creighton for my senior year and can't wait to put on that uniform for one more season!"

[Also: Former Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps has bladder cancer]

Thanks to McDermott's decision to delay his NBA dreams one more year, Creighton will enter the Big East as a contender rather than fodder for the league's top teams.

Had McDermott opted to enter the NBA draft this spring, Creighton would have been in rebuilding mode after losing its three leading scorers off a team that won 28 games and captured the Missouri Valley title last season. Graduating seniors Gregory Echenique and Grant Gibbs will still be missed by the Bluejays, but at least they'll have an All-American candidate around which to build.

Jabarie Hinds (Getty Images)UMass is beginning to become a popular destination for talented New York-area guards in search of a fresh start.

Leading scorer Chaz Williams began his college career at Hofstra before joining the Minutemen. Promising sophomore Derrick Gordon was an all-conference guard at Western Kentucky as a freshman. And now UMass coach Derek Kellogg has lured a third highly touted transfer to Amherst.

Jabarie Hinds, a former top 10o recruit who spent the past two years at West Virginia, chose UMass over St. Joseph's on Thursday, according to multiple reports. Hinds started 59 of his first 60 games at West Virginia, but the 5-foot-11 sophomore opted to transfer after being relegated to the bench the final five games of this past season.

The reason for the demotion was a drop in efficiency and production for Hinds as a sophomore. Expected to shoulder a heavier burden after the graduation of stars Kevin Jones and Truck Bryant, Hinds instead struggled, averaging 7.4 points and 1.6 assists per game but shooting only 35.1 percent from the floor and 27.6 percent from behind the arc.

Hinds seems like someone who could benefit from the half tick drop in level from the Big 12 to the Atlantic 10. If he improves his shot selection and his jump shot during his redshirt year, he could potentially step right in for Williams alongside Gordon in the Minutemen backcourt in 2014.