Word that Jameer Nelson was staying at Saint Joseph's for his senior season got out fast Thursday morning.

With Nelson back in the fold, the Hawks were back in most preseason top 25 rankings and that meant marquee matchups from New York to California could await St. Joe's in 2003-04.

	Jameer Nelson not only makes Saint Joseph's a top 25 team, but also has another year to prove he's worthy of a first-round pick in 2004.

Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli started fielding calls into the Hawks offices requesting the Hawks play Oklahoma State in a doubleheader with Princeton and Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. Another one came in from the Pete Newell Challenge, seeing if the Hawks would be interested in playing Cal as part of a doubleheader with Stanford and Gonzaga in Oakland. The Coaches vs. Cancer Classic was also interested in St. Joe's filling out its eight-team card at Madison Square Garden.

You could say Nelson's decision to withdraw from the draft Thursday was a good decision -- all the way around.

Nelson's move Thursday was the best and likely most important of any underclassman thinking about skipping off to the NBA over the final 10 days of the decision process.

And in the spirit of the NBA Draft, here is a lottery-like look at the decisions made by the players and the affect each will have on their respective teams.

No. 1: Jameer Nelson returns to Saint Joseph's Nelson will be a preseason first-team All-America as the top returning point guard in the country. He'll team with Delonte West in one of the country's best backcourts. And, as a senior, Nelson will be able to create a legacy for himself at Saint Joseph's, likely having his number retired.

"He's the most valuable player to a team and he could be the player of the year," Martelli said. "We don't any of those offers for games without Jameer. We can only take one of them."

The keys for Nelson will be can he make Pat Carroll a better shooter on the wing, will Dwayne Jones be able to finish his passes in the post, and does next year's St. Joe's team have the depth to make a deep run in the NCAAs?

One thing is for sure, Nelson won't obsess about the NBA because he doesn't have to anymore. He learned NBA teams love his game, but some aren't going to get over his height. For those that don't have a problem with his size, he'll likely get a serious look in the 2004 draft lottery, or at least the middle of the first round. Nelson was as good as any guard in Chicago at the pre-draft camp. He did the right thing by testing the process, but just didn't receive a guarantee that he would be a first-round pick.

He has a pretty good chance to get one next year when T.J. Ford, Kirk Hinrich, Reece Gaines, Marcus Banks and Luke Ridnour are out of the way. Nelson might be able to skip Chicago if he has an All-America type season in 2003-04.

Nelson would have gone in the second round in next week's draft. He would have been a backup point guard to start his NBA career. And, while that won't change next year, his draft position could significantly improve.

Saint Joseph's chances to be an NCAA Tournament team hinged on his decision. It was a win-win decision by Nelson.

No. 2: Andre Emmett makes good with The General, returns to Texas Tech
Emmett and Bob Knight had a thoughtful and productive meeting Thursday. The result was Emmett returning to Texas Tech for his senior season.

Emmett is the crucial piece in a transition year, but makes the Red Raiders a factor again next season in the Big 12. Texas Tech lost seniors Kasib Powell and Will Chavis. Losing Emmett would have set the program back at least a year.

Emmett made the decision to return because he knew he was destined to be a second-round pick. He didn't stand out enough in Chicago at the pre-draft camp. He didn't average double figures after scoring over 19 a game for Tech, which meant he was just another face at the Moody Bible Institute.

In the Big 12, Emmett is a star.

Emmett has a chance to shine even more as a senior and will be one of the most featured players in the league. All of this may not guarantee that he'll be a first-round pick next year, but he has a much better shot if he works on his perimeter shooting and becomes an even more diversified scorer.

"He provides us with that proven scorer in a competitive Big 12," Texas Tech assistant coach Bob Beyer said. "He'll take a lot of pressure off our first-year players. He'll open up opportunities for the players we have around him."

The Red Raiders are billing next season's team as their most athletic, but they still need experience. More will be expected out of forward Robert Tomaszek (who has a chance to be a bruiser, banger and low-post scorer), guards Mikey Marshall (energy player off the bench) and Ronald Ross (defensive stopper). But the newcomers -- guard Jay Jackson and forward DeVonne Giles -- will be counted on to contribute, too.

"Emmett has to go out there and work his tail off and build relationships with the rest of the team," Beyer said. "He needs to take on more of a leadership role and that starts with our summer conditioning program and open gym situations."

No. 3: Charlie Villanueva picks UConn over NBA

	Charlie Villanueva makes UConn even more of a favorite to win it all in 2004.

Villanueva would have been a second-round pick. He didn't get a guarantee, so he did what he should have -- play for ESPN.com's preseason No. 1 Connecticut.

Getting Villanueva this spring was a steal for the Huskies. The 6-9 power forward originally committed to Illinois, but didn't sign a national letter of intent. So, when Bill Self left for Kansas, he dropped the Illini. He considered Kansas, but he wanted to stay close to his New York home.

Villanueva will give the Huskies a legit scoring forward next to Emeka Okafor. The competition among Villanueva, Marcus White, Hilton Armstrong and newcomer Josh Boone will be the fiercest of any position on the team. The key will be Villanueva buying into the national title chase instead of his NBA hunt as a freshman. If he can act like Carmelo Anthony did for Syracuse, he's got a shot at realizing both of his goals -- an NCAA championship and a spot in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft.

No. 4: Michael Sweetney stays in the draft
This was a no-brainer for Sweetney. He was cautious about not signing with an agent throughout the draft process, but that won't cost him a spot in the first round. Sweetney was and remains a player who could go anywhere from No. 9 to 16. His stock stayed stable throughout the last month.

Sweetney was a dominant presence for Georgetown, finishing around the post and getting to the free-throw line. He said he couldn't see going back to a rebuilding group of Hoyas when he talked with the media two weeks ago in Chicago. If he returned, the Hoyas would be competitive in the Big East, but not good enough to get into the NCAAs.

It's always difficult to say an underclassman should go into the draft, but in Sweetney's case, a senior season wouldn't have done much to improve his first-round stock. In fact, he could have gone a spot lower or two in 2004 if things didn't go well in 2003-04.

In his three seasons, Sweetney has done wonders for the Hoyas -- but the fact remains, Georgetown only played in one NCAA Tournament during his time on campus. Georgetown had planned to move forward without him and will lean heavily on sophomore forward Brandon Bowman and newcomer center Darian Townes.

No. 5: Marcus Moore will play for Dick Bennett
Moore had the size (6-4) to be a first-round point guard, but he didn't wow enough scouts in Chicago at the pre-draft camp. He made the right decision to return to Washington State for his senior year. He now has a shot at the first-round next year.

Moore spent an injury-riddled junior season in Pullman. He had the numbers to warrant all-Pac-10 honors, but wasn't able to lift the Cougars out of the Pac-10 basement on his own. He now has help in with new head coach Bennett running things.

Moore is energized to play for Bennett and show a different side of his game. He'll play tamer, but will be the focal point of Washington State's offense. His long reach will work wonders in Bennett's man-to-man defense.

Moore's knowledge of the game will also increase in the season under Bennett's tutelage and he'll be an even better pro because of his experience. Washington State has a chance to be competitive and win a few more Pac-10 games with Moore. Without him, the first year for Bennett would have been extremely rocky.

No. 6: Chris Thomas makes Irish eyes smile
Thomas skipped Chicago and decided to go the workout route on his own. He'll have to reimburse the NBA teams he worked out for over the past month (airfare and lodging), and the experience could end up backfiring.

The entire NBA didn't get a chance to evaluate him in Chicago, so he might be asked to go to the camp next season if he decides to enter the 2004 draft after his junior year. The same could be true if he waits until his senior season. He could easily refuse like he did this year.

Regardless, Thomas made the right call because he wasn't going to be a first-round pick. No team would guarantee him that they would take him among the top 29 picks, and he would have landed somewhere high in the second round.

Notre Dame, meanwhile, has a chance to get back to the NCAAs with Thomas. He'll provide the necessary passes to keep Torin Francis' offensive game developing. He's got the leadership to ensure the Irish remain a consistent threat in the Big East. And he'll anchor the Irish defense at the top of the key.

With Thomas still around, he'll be able to keep Chris Quinn from taking over too much, too soon. Quinn was going to be thrusted into the starting point guard role in Thomas' absence. He can now slide into a shooter's spot next to Thomas and spell him at times at the point.

No. 7: Jason Parker remains golden for Hurricane
Parker has already graduated and had nothing to lose by declaring for the draft. But, he still had another season of eligibility and wanted to see if there was any kind of buzz about his candidacy for this draft. There wasn't. Parker was a reach for even the second round.

So, instead of staying in the draft (like Kentucky's Marquis Estill in the same situation) he chose to finish his playing career at Tulsa and give it a go for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Parker's chances of landing in the NBA won't be much higher in 2004, but he's realistic not to blow his final season of eligibility. Tulsa gets back a experienced guard who can help them deal with Fresno State, Hawaii, SMU, Rice and Nevada in a tightly-packed WAC next season.

No. 8: Introducing Ricky Minard
Minard had nothing to lose by declaring for the draft, as long as he didn't sign with an agent. He got invited to the Chicago pre-draft camp, where he didn't stand out, but at least got his name out to NBA scouts in the stands.

Minard's numbers during his junior season (22.5 ppg) warrant NBA interest. Now he knows he's got to get stronger, improve his ball skills and become an even better defender for the NBA to give him a look next season.

His return to Morehead is great news for Kyle Macy, who has the chance to coach one of the most prolific scorers in the country. Morehead State is a team to keep an eye on next season, and has a chance to get into the NCAA Tournament with Minard. Without him, it had no shot.

No. 9: Mo's big gamble
Maurice Williams' decision is extremely questionable, that is unless Williams can crack the first round by getting to Boston at No. 20; the Nets at No. 22 or the Lakers at No. 24. If he's in the second round then Williams made a million-dollar mistake.

Williams would have been a first-round lock next year. Instead, he's gambling big time that he can get into this year's first round.

Williams is the fourth player in as many years to leave Alabama early under head coach Mark Gottfried (Schea Cotton 2000; Gerald Wallace 2001; Rod Grizzard 2002). The Tide needed Williams as a transition between likely getting high school senior point guard Ronnie Steele in the fall of 2004. Now, the Tide will go with Antoine Pettway and Demetrius Smith at the point.

Pettway was an energy guy off the bench and not as talented at the point. Smith was a role player a year ago. Williams could keep a defender honest by pulling up for a 3-pointer or a mid-range shot. Now the Tide could be too predictable and might have a harder time getting the ball to Kennedy Winston on the wing and freshman Jermareo Davidson inside.

"There is no question that Mo staying in the draft hurts us," Alabama assistant coach Phillip Pearson said. "But the players knew the last few weeks that he wasn't coming back."

No. 10: What is Josh thinking?
This one made no sense. Josh Powell wasn't going to be in the first round. He's not even a lock to go in the second round. He is the early front-runner to play posterboy for underclassmen mistakes.

NBA scouts and general managers liked Powell's 6-9 frame, but he isn't skilled enough around the basket to convince any to take him in this year's draft.

Powell could have been a major player in the ACC next season. The turnover rate was high in the frontcourts of teams in the league and Powell might have been a preseason all-ACC player. He could have teamed up with Marcus Melvin and formed one of the best frontcourts in the league. Instead, the sophomore will sweat out draft night.

N.C. State will be fine without Powell, if Illian Evtimov is healthy after an ACL injury last season. Evtimov is the scorer on the wing the Wolfpack lacked last season. Putting him next to Hodge and Scooter Sherrill should give N.C. State the necessary production out of the perimeter.

But Herb Sendek was obviously miffed by Powell's decision. He had a chance to develop into a first-round pick. Instead, he left too early and the Wolfpack won't ever get his full potential.

No. 11: Perkins snubs Memphis
Kendrick Perkins entered the draft without getting a guarantee that he will be in the first round. Had he gone to Memphis for one season, at the very least, he would have had a shot to go in the first round. He still might, but it's he took too much of a gamble.

Perkins would have benefited from playing in the rugged Conference USA, not to mention a year or two of John Calipari's coaching.

"I like my team one way or another," Calipari said of losing Perkins. "Obviously, we would have had more of a post presence with Perkins up front. Without him we'll be more like my old UMass teams. We'll have more 3s and 4s."

Memphis signed Perkins but won't see him play. The same thing happened when it signed Qyntel Woods and got a commitment from Amare Stoudemire. Dajuan Wagner left after one season. Perkins would have had to earn playing time and wouldn't have been an automatic starter. Just because he's in the NBA draft doesn't mean the Tigers would have been better off with him. But his size still will be hard to replace.

The Tigers will lean on seldom-used Modibo Diarra and Duane Erwin next to slashing forward Rodney Carney, who was a big hit as a freshman last season. But Calipari will need instant production out of incoming freshman Ivan Lopez (6-8). Calipari might take a chance on Mark Gasol with Perkins out of the picture. Pau's younger brother played in Memphis last season and went back to Spain after graduating from high school. He's a 6-11 forward who could add depth to the position.

The perimeter will be active and at times productive with returning guards Jeremy Hunt, Anthony Rice and Antonio Burks.

"We'll be small and athletic," Calipari said. "This program will be fine. We were fine after Dajuan (Wagner) left."

No. 12: Outlaw skips out on Mississippi State
This was another odd choice by a high school senior. Outlaw doesn't have a first-round guarantee and certainly could have played his way into the first round of 2004 or 2005 drafts. So, he too could be taking a million-dollar gamble. And, even if he is drafted late in the first round, he's not ready for the jump to the NBA. He's not skilled enough and isn't ready for the NBA lifestyle.

Yet, he took the plunge.

The Bulldogs now have lost two signed high school seniors. Jonathan Bender also entered the draft before arriving at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs were counting on Outlaw and Mario Austin next season. But with both gone, the Bulldogs will be extremely thin in the post.

Marcus Campbell must be a force inside after hardly playing last season. Role players Winsome Frazier, Branden Vincent and Ontario Harper will suddenly have to become stars upfront. The Bulldogs didn't get Jackie Butler, either. He wasn't eligible and will go to a prep school. But coach Rick Stansbury isn't worried about his backcourt. The Bulldogs return one of the top defensive guards in the SEC in Timmy Bowers, get an impact point guard in Gary Ervin and Iowa State transfer shooting guard Shane Power.

No. 13: Ebi takes his chances in the draft
Ndudi Ebi could have been a star for Arizona. Instead, he's rolling the dice to see if he gets into the first round. And if he does, then what? He'll end up on the bench in the league.

Ebi had a chance to shine with the Wildcats. He could have been a big-time scorer like Anthony was last season for Syracuse. He didn't really show signs that he wanted to go to college after talking to the media following his workout earlier this month in Chicago. He was thinking NBA all of the time and now that's all he has to concern himself with next season.

"We thought if he came to school he could have been in the lottery, if not high lottery in a year or so," Arizona assistant Josh Pastner said.

Ebi could have done what Chris Bosh or Anthony did in their only season in college. Instead, the Wildcats will be down an important figure in their frontcourt plans.

Ebi could have challenged for a starting spot next to Channing Frye in the Arizona frontcourt. The Wildcats have depth with redshirt Chris Dunn, Isaiah Fox and the addition of freshman Kirk Walters. Andre Iguodala and Hassan Adams could have breakout seasons on the wings, and will continue to be tough to beat off the ball. The perimeter is fine with freshman guard Mustafa Shakur at the point, Salim Stoudamire on the wing and Chris Rodgers as the top reserve.

But Ebi could have been a breakout scorer for the Wildcats. Now Iguodala will probably need to improve his scoring potential for the Wildcats to be a Final Four team. Shakur can score and could be the fourth option with Adams, Frye and Stoudamire as the top three. But Ebi would have made them even tougher to matchup with in the Pac-10 and in the NCAAs.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Word on college basketball is updated Fridays throughout the year.