Reign of Troy
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USC Basketball: Shaqquan Aaron Declares for 2017 NBA Draft

By Alicia de Artola

Feb 9, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oregon State Beavers guard Stephen Thompson Jr. (1) defends USC Trojans guard Shaqquan Aaron (0) as he takes a shot in the first half of the game at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oregon State Beavers guard Stephen Thompson Jr. (1) defends USC Trojans guard Shaqquan Aaron (0) as he takes a shot in the first half of the game at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Guard Shaqquan Aaron declared for the 2017 NBA Draft on Friday, but left the door open for a return to USC basketball by declining to hire an agent, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

The first NBA Draft shoe has fallen for USC basketball, just not the one you might have expected.

Redshirt sophomore guard Shaqquan Aaron announced his intention to declare for the 2017 NBA Draft on Friday, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein on Twitter.

However, Aaron will not hire an agent, which would allow him to return to USC if he withdraws from the draft pool within 10 days after the NBA Combine in May.

The 6-foot-7, 190-pound wing played in all 36 games for the Trojans this year, starting 20 times. He averaged 8.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, shooting 39.2 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from behind the three-point line.

Aaron arrived at USC with high expectations after transferring from Louisville following the 2014-15 season. He sat out the 2015-16 season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules and made his first appearance for the Trojans last November, scoring 17 points in the season opener against Montana.

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He was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week after scoring 23 points in USC’s January upset of UCLA at the Galen Center.

Despite that success, Aaron’s productivity and place in the pecking order for the Trojans diminished as the season wore on. He failed to score a point in USC’s final four games of the year, including three in the NCAA Tournament.

His decision to test the NBA waters could be tied to that time in the doghouse and his future prospects with the Trojans.

USC is also awaiting draft decisions from forwards Bennie Boatwright and Chimezie Metu, who are considered potential second round prospects.

The deadline to declare for the draft is April 23rd.

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