Markell Johnson announces that he is returning to NC State

Markell Johnson is back, folks—it’s official. He announced his return to NC State on Friday afternoon. He had until May 29 to make a decision one way or the other, and it’s great to have him back.

So there’s one fewer offseason worry for those of us admittedly in the selfish offseason worrying club. I wouldn’t have begrudged Markell if he decided to stay in the draft, but I’m thrilled to have him back. He’ll be the leader on the team this upcoming season and perhaps he can work his way into the NBA Draft in the process.

Markell went through several NBA workouts after he declared this spring, but he didn’t appear to be significantly high on any team’s radar. Another go ‘round through the ACC, this time as a lead guard and potential leading scorer, definitely could change that.

We’re lucky to get another year of watching Markell play here, and that’s the big thing, really. You never want to let go of your team’s best players because it’s a bummer, of course, but mainly it’s because they’re so much fun to watch.