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Gary Harris to return for sophomore season

Gregory Shamus

First, we do the dance of joy!

Here are the quotes from the MSU release (emphasis mine).

Gary Harris

"I'm looking forward to my sophomore season with my Spartan brothers. When the season was done, Coach Izzo gathered a lot of great information and shared it with me and my family. After talking things over with my parents, it is my decision to remain at Michigan State.

"Playing in the NBA is definitely a goal of mine, and something that I've always dreamed of, but those dreams can wait for another day. I think additional experience and maturity will be huge in my development as a player. I have other dreams of things I want to accomplish, both as a player and as a team at Michigan State. I love college life, and I'm no hurry to move on.

"My teammates and I are already excited thinking about next season. I've been doing a lot of rehab on my shoulder and it feels stronger already. Last year was a good season for my teammates and me, but we can all improve this summer, and come back for even greater things next year."

Tom Izzo

"After the season, I told Gary that I owed it to him and his family to gather the best information available regarding his potential NBA draft prospects. In the process, I spoke with many different general managers and teams, and presented that information to the family. I know Gary has dreams of someday playing in the NBA, but he handled the entire process with great maturity, and ultimately decided to remain at Michigan State. I have no doubt that Gary would have been a high pick had he entered the draft, but I'm excited to have the opportunity to coach him next year.

"Gary had a phenomenal freshman season, but his future is even brighter. After gathering many different opinions, it was determined that he would not need surgery on his shoulder. He's been committed to his rehab and all indications are that he's making great progress. There's no question that a healthy Gary Harris is one of the premier guards in the country.

"I'd like to commend Gary and his family for the way they handled this process. It can be a stressful time dealing with outside pressures and imperfect information, but they handled it with great poise. It's exciting to see a player embrace the college experience like Gary has. So often, society pressures kids to grow up and move on quickly. It's refreshing to watch Gary follow his heart and enjoy his time in college, without being in a rush to move on."

We'll have analysis later. No word on Payne yet. Celebrate accordingly.