BY NATHAN WARTERS

(434) 385-5540

Virginia Tech guard Malcolm Delaney will test the NBA Draft waters, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s leaving the Hokies.

Delaney, a junior from Baltimore, declared for the draft Wednesday but will not hire an agent and therefore will be eligible to return to Tech next season.

He has until May 8 to remove his name from the draft and retain his college eligibility.

“I decided to put my name into the NBA Draft to explore all of my options in order to better achieve my goal of getting to the next level,” Delaney said in a written statement.

“It has always been my dream to play in the NBA, and I believe this will give me the opportunity to learn more about the process. I will be able to get feedback from various people, including NBA scouts and NBA general managers and get my name out there.”

It’s not uncommon for an underclassman to declare for the draft and remove his name from consideration.

Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez declared for the draft last year and didn’t hire an agent. He returned for his senior season, helped lead the Terps to a tie for first-place in the ACC and won conference player of the year honors.

“We respect and will support Malcolm as he attempts to get feedback from the NBA,” Hokies coach Seth Greenberg said. “His dream has always been to play at the next level and this experience will give him a better understanding of where he stands in relation to fulfilling that dream.

“At the end of the process, he will evaluate what is in his best interest as he pursues his goals. We will support him in every way possible and know that he will make a good decision.”

Delaney, who was a fourth-team All-America selection by The Sporting News last month, was named to the Associated Press’ honorable mention All-America squad Monday.

He also was also a unanimous selection to the All-ACC first team after a season in which he led the conference in scoring average (20.2) and led the Hokies in assists (4.45). He also averaged 1.2 steals and 3.7 rebounds per game and was third in the conference in free throw percentage (84.2).

Read Warters’ blog at http://www.mynewsadvance.com and follow him on Twitter at @nathanwarters.