Jarvis and Jonas Hayes always chose the same school. And when it came to basketball, they always played on the same team. The reality, however, of the twin's difference in basketball talent hit home this month.

But don't think for a minute that Jarvis' decision to stay in the NBA draft was made any easier by the money he figures to make as a first-round pick, or the trouble he leaves at the University of Georgia.

Leaving his brother behind was quite possibly the hardest decision of his life.

	"	I'll adapt. But in that first game of next year, it will be the first time I've ever been associated with anything in basketball without that big knucklehead. "
		— Jonas Hayes

"I think the longest we've been apart is a week," said Jarvis Hayes. "We've never really been apart. He's standing next to me right now and, believe it or not, we were just talking about how this will be the first time we've never played together.

"It's definitely going to be hard. I knew this day was coming and it is finally here."

Jarvis is a potential lottery pick and has the goods in his game to become an NBA all-star some day. Jonas, meanwhile, is a role player with the potential to be one of Georgia's top players next season, but not necessarily a breakout scorer his brother became as a Bulldog.

Jonas may never be drafted by an NBA team, and the odds of the two hooking up somewhere down the road in the league is remote. Sure, Jonas has a chance to play professionally somewhere on the globe if it's not in the NBA. But, it's Jarvis who could end up having a lengthy career in the league.

"I'll adapt," Jonas said. "But in that first game of next year, it will be the first time I've ever been associated with anything in basketball without that big knucklehead."

Jarvis, a 6-7 forward, said he signed with Essential Sport from New York, making him ineligible to return for his senior season. He said he was scheduled to workout for a number of teams this week and into next week. Jarvis got off to a slow start in the workout process, but isn't worried about it affecting his draft position. Jarvis, who averaged 18.3 points a game for the Bulldogs, was a two-time all-SEC team member and could have led the Bulldogs deep into the NCAA Tournament were it not for the program's alleged academic scandal just weeks before the dance.

Georgia president Michael Adams and former athletic director Vince Dooley pulled the Bulldogs out of the NCAA Tournament after allegations of academic fraud were alleged against the program. Georgia, which won 20 games during the regular season, didn't play in the SEC or NCAA tournaments. Jim Harrick eventually reached a negotiated settlement with the school. And Jarvis was outspoken about the move to take Georgia out of the postseason at the time. Jonas, meanwhile, said he is no longer bitter and ready to put the ugly episode behind him as he prepares for his senior season.

Despite declaring for the draft early, Jarvis finished the semester and both Hayes brothers are expected to graduate on time, possibly by the end of the summer session. Both had been at Georgia for three years after starting their careers at Western Carolina. The duo sat out the 2000-01 season at Georgia before playing the last two seasons.

Even though Jarvis was clearly the better player, and a good bet to be picked in the first round, the feeling among the former staff was that Jonas would follow his brother into the draft because he too was so close to graduating.

"I really thought Jonas would leave when Jarvis left and go wherever Jarvis ended up playing," said former Georgia assistant James Holland.

"I don't know how wise it is to spend your entire life with your brother," new coach Dennis Felton said. "You can stay in the same community and continue to be around each other a lot and enjoy the relationship, but it just isn't practical to stay together on everything in your career. The time has arrived for them to chase their own agendas. This is a terrific opportunity for both of them."

Yes, the 2003-04 season could be Jonas' chance to finally get out from under Jarvis' shadow. Jonas (6.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg) will join returning seniors Rashad Wright, Damien Wilkins, Steve Thomas and Chris Daniels for Felton. And Holland hopes the shots Jonas would concede to Jarvis become his own.

	"	I think the longest we've been apart is a week. We've never really been apart. ... It's definitely going to be hard. I knew this day was coming and it is finally here. "
		— Jarvis Hayes

"I'm hoping Jonas can be the player he can be and should be," said Holland.

So, too, does Felton.

"Jonas can play," Felton said. "He's a player. I'm watching him on tape and I can see how strong his face-up game is and that he can hit the mid-range jump shot. He's developed into a good player.

"It will be a tremendous opportunity for him to forge his own identity as a basketball player. He'll also have a chance to grow as a person and develop his own identity."

The big question for Felton, however, is how Georgia will replace the 34 points a game that Jarvis Hayes and Ezra Williams produced. The Bulldogs will be senior-driven, but that still won't make it any easier for them to compete with Florida and Kentucky in the SEC East.

But, the biggest transition will come off the court for Jonas. The Hayes twins were simply inseparable. Holland said he can't remember seeing them apart. He said they would always come in the office together, they roomed together, took the same classes and few could tell them apart until Jarvis shaved his head.

"They're just two halves and together they're one," Holland said. "I've never been around two better kids in my life."

The stories of Jarvis actually making passes differently to Jonas, or knowing Jonas will be in the right spot without hesitation are common. But, then there is the continued myth that twins felt each other's pain.

"When Jonas dislocated his finger his first year with us, Jarvis claimed he felt the pain," Holland said. "When Jarvis hurt his knee, Jonas said his knee hurt, too. These two are unbelievably close"

There is, however, one place Jonas seems ready to be independent.

"I hope I don't have a roommate, because (Jarvis) is the only roommate I've ever had in my life," Jonas said. "I hope coach (Felton) lets me have my own room. Next year will be an interesting year in all fronts for us."

What else we're hearing
With the NCAA ... The exempted tournament lawsuit returns to the forefront of college basketball Monday in a Columbus, Ohio, court room. The exempted tournaments, such as the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in New York, are trying to overturn the NCAA's 2-in-4 rule that limits teams to two exempted tournaments in a four-year cycle. The federal judge put off a decision in the case last July to see how the rule would affect the tournaments. A number of the events were canceled last season, including three in Las Vegas, because they weren't able to field competitive events. If the rule is overturned, events could be free to pick teams each year for the events without restrictions. Exempted tournaments count as one game on a team's schedule even though they may play as many as four in the event.

At the CCA meetings ... The place to be next week should be Lexington, Ky. The Conference Commissioners Association holds its annual meeting Tuesday. The big question is where ACC commissioner John Swofford and Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese will be sitting? Will they start to take sides? Could this meeting spill into a verbal shouting match? Will they be civil? Will any back room deals get cut? This meeting could be one of the more interesting gatherings of this rather staid group in recent memory.

With Marcus Banks ... The UNLV guard went from a relative unknown to getting a promise to go in the first round, according to an influential source in the draft. Banks averaged 20.3 points for the Runnin' Rebels, but didn't get the national recognition. Boston is the favorite to get him at No. 20.

With Jameer Nelson ... Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli hasn't found a first-round guarantee for his junior point guard Jameer Nelson. The one team that could change its mind is Detroit at No. 25. Larry Brown was a fan of Nelson's while he was the 76ers coach, but he would have to convince the Pistons' brass to take Nelson. Martelli worked the phones with teams from No. 20 to No. 29 in the first round.

With Kendrick Perkins ... Memphis coach John Calipari is still fairly confident that Perkins will play for the Tigers instead of staying in the draft. But if Perkins is in the draft past the June 19 deadline, you can guarantee that he's received a promise for the first round.

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