Gee Returning to Alabama

Alabama junior forward Alonzo Gee has announced that he has withdrawn his name from the NBA Draft and will return to the Crimson Tide for his senior season. "I learned a lot from the draft process and I appreciate everyone's support," Gee said. "I have decided to return to Alabama and look forward to helping our program reach our goals for the 2008-09 season." Coach Mark Gottfried is happy with the route Gee took to make his decision. "We supported Alonzo through this process," Gottfried. "He has evaluated all the input. We look forward to him continuing to develop and are excited that he will return. It's important to understand that he is on track to graduate next year as well which is important to him and to all of us." Gee, who averaged 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season, did not get an invite to this week's pre-Draft camp in Orlando and was not projected to be drafted in the first-round and is listed as a likely second-round pick in next year's Draft. Teammates Richard Hendrix and Ronald Steele, who also entered the Draft without an agent, have yet to make a final decision regarding their future.