Lucas at Large: Decision to go pro is a personal one

MIKE LUCAS
Senior Writer

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Varsity Magazine

BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer

MADISON, Wis. — From Corey Clement's home in New Jersey, it's about a 20-minute drive from Camden — via the Walt Whitman Bridge over the Delaware River — to the Broad Street ramp.

From there, you turn left and follow the signs to the South Philadelphia Sports Complex: Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles), Citizens Bank Park (Phillies) and Wells Fargo Center (76ers and Flyers).

Clement was at the latter venue Friday night for the Sweet 16 game between Wisconsin and Notre Dame in the East Regional of the NCAA tournament.

"It was great," Clement said, "until the last 19 seconds."

He didn't have to say another word.

Clement and Nigel Hayes aren't necessarily close friends but they have crossed paths on the UW campus and Clement said, "When I see him, we have great conversations."

One can imagine the discussion that they might have on leaving school early and turning pro. Clement thought about it constantly last season. Hayes is thinking about it now.

"I'm pretty sure he's in a great position to figure out what he needs to do," Clement said. "He's weighing his options and probably decision-making."

In retrospect, Clement felt like he obsessed too much about his future. From the day he enrolled at Wisconsin, he envisioned himself as a three-and-done player: three years and out.

If everything went according to plan, Clement would put up big rushing numbers and declare for the National Football League draft after his junior season. But the script didn't play out that way.

Instead, he was sacked by a sports hernia in 2015. Despite flying to Germany for minimally invasive surgery, an attempt to get back on the field quicker, he was limited to only four games.

"You just have to live in the moment," Clement said of the lesson that was learned. "If you start thinking ahead, things start falling into a place where you really don't want them to go."

After Tuesday morning's practice at Camp Randall Stadium, Clement said, "It was a pretty simple decision for me to come back (for his senior year). I had to be smart about it.

"I'm happy to feel healthy again and be back at practice. That's a blessing right there."

Clement added that his decision to return was based on several factors.

"It was both academic and football," he said. "I get closer to graduating and I get to play for a great school. I'll get my degree next spring and I'll go off to the league (the NFL) after that."

"The biggest thing I can say is that everyone is different, everyone has a different background, everyone has a different situation," Biegel said.

On Tuesday, Clement was once again wearing his No. 6 jersey, which he has worn since his freshman season. Prior to spring break, he switched to No. 24 because he wanted a fresh start.

"I can't change everything because of last year," he said, relating that he had always viewed the number change as temporary. "Everything happens for a reason. And I have to be who I am. I have to still be me."

That may be the best advice that Clement can give to Hayes. Be true to yourself.

"Another year wouldn't hurt him," Clement said of Hayes. "It might help him out. But that's up to him. He can only determine that decision. Nobody else can."

Clement's teammate, linebacker Vince Biegel, can relate to the decision-making process. At the end of last season, Biegel seriously considered his option to enter the NFL draft as an underclassman.

"The biggest thing I can say is that everyone is different, everyone has a different background, everyone has a different situation," said Biegel, a fifth-year senior from Wisconsin Rapids.

"I personally love this university. I grew up in the state of Wisconsin and I felt like the best is yet to come for me. That's why I wanted to come back.

"I know if Nigel decides to come back, it will be the same for him."

Biegel is close with Zak Showalter. He's also friends with Bronson Koenig and Vitto Brown. He doesn't know Hayes as well. But he knows of him and the decision that he has to make.

"I was reading about it in the newspaper and it was kind of déjà vu," Biegel said. "Nigel has to sit down with his family and just think about what's best for him moving forward.

"If it's coming back for another year to improve his skills and be a leader on the basketball team, I'd definitely encourage to come back. But, like I said, everybody's situation is different."

As a part of his process, Biegel submitted his name to the NFL Draft Advisory Board.

"If it's first or second round, they want you to come out early," he said of the advice. "If it's third or fourth round or farther back, they want you to stay in school.

"After talking to some outside people, some trusted sources, I was going to be around the third or fourth round. One of the big critiques was with all the things that I can control."

Improving his coverage skills and getting bigger and stronger were cited in his evaluation.

"You saw me covering (receivers) in practice today," he pointed out. "In the off-season, I put on five to six pounds. I plan on doing that, too, during summer workouts while keeping my speed.

"From my freshman year, I've always had someone to look up to, whether it was Mike Taylor, Chris Borland or Brendan Kelly. But now that I'm a senior I have to push myself internally.

"That's one thing that I've really had to do this off-season — push myself — which has made me a better person and it's going to be make me a better football player down the road.

"People were asking me on Pro Day, 'Vince, do you feel like you should be out there right now?' I said, 'Absolutely not.' I knew that I made the right decision and in my heart I felt very good about it."

Last season, Hayes was cast in a different leadership role as one of only two returning starters from UW's back-to-back Final Four teams; Koenig was the other.

"It was put on me to see how I was going to be able to lead a team and how I was going to be able to grow as a leader and be 'the guy' on that team," Hayes said after last Friday's loss.

"It was a great learning experience. It helped me be a better leader and person, on and off the court. It helped me to deal with people's emotions; their needs, what motives them, what doesn't.

"I'm trying to put this experience not only into basketball but into life," he said, "in how to be a better leader or, at times, how to be a better follower."

Question is, "Will he follow his heart or his head?"

"You have to decide, do you just want to be in the league and go up and down in the D-League?" Katz posed. "Or, do you want to be ready to contribute in the NBA when you get drafted?"

Hayes has until April 24 to declare for the NBA draft. But as long as he doesn't sign with an agent, he has until May 24 to withdraw his name, which would allow him to return for his senior year.

UW coach Greg Gard will encourage Hayes to get an evaluation on his draft status from the basketball advisory committee. Frank Kaminsky and Traevon Jackson previously went down this path.

Both came back for their senior years.

"Now is the time for Nigel to do it, and we may even do it with Bronson just to get the honest feedback," Gard said. "There are no strings attached."

Hayes may also have an opportunity to attend the NBA draft combine in Chicago (May 11-15). The invitation-only event includes seniors, underclassmen and international players.

"I think he would be invited because of his body of work, if you will," said ESPN college basketball analyst Andy Katz. "Of late, he has not proven necessarily that he's a first-round pick.

"I don't think he would prove it in that setting, either. Someone would not be telling him the truth if that was the case. I think he's a second-rounder right now."

There's no guaranteed money in the second round.

"You have to decide, do you just want to be in the league and go up and down in the D-League?" Katz posed, suggesting the mindset of someone declaring who's not yet ready. "Or, do you want to be ready to contribute in the NBA when you get drafted? I think he is smart enough to realize that he's not ready."

That was based on Hayes' junior season and his drop-off in shooting percentage.

"With the trend of his former teammate Frank Kaminsky, (Michigan State's) Denzel Valentine and (Oklahoma's) Buddy Hield," Katz said, "we are in the Era of the Senior."

He made that claim while noting all of the hype that surrounded LSU's one-and-done Ben Simmons.

"For the most part," said Katz, acknowledging the high-profile recruiting classes at Kentucky and Duke, "we're in a little bit of a shift right now where the seniors are getting good positive pub.

"There's no question that Buddy Hield and Denzel Valentine will have a better draft position because they stayed, and the same with Doug McDermott a couple of years ago, as well."

McDermott, a four-year player, was a first-round pick of the Chicago Bulls.

"With the new deadlines," Gard said, "you can go longer and test the waters as long as you don't get an agent. And that's a good thing. The last thing you want to do is have someone make a knee-jerk reaction or a decision based on bad information."

Hayes will have some time to make up his mind, if he hasn't already.