Junior guard Scottie Reynolds officially announced on Tuesday that he will test the waters and enter the NBA draft. However, Reynolds has chosen not to sign with an agent, giving him the opportunity to return for his senior season.

“The best decision for myself is to put my name into the draft and pursue a dream that I’ve been working on for a very long time,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds arrived at this decision 17 days after his junior season ended with a loss to North Carolina in the Final Four. Rather than react too quickly, Reynolds wanted to make sure that he gave proper thought to such a difficult decision.

“After the Final Four game, it’s very emotional,” Reynolds said. “You can’t make a decision when you’re emotional. It’s not a smart thing to do. You have to take everything in and look at your options.”

He made sure to assess those options by talking with people who had knowledge and experience with the situation. He didn’t have to look far for someone to talk to as he quickly turned to Head Coach Jay Wright for help.

“I think [Wright] will always support anyone who makes a decision like that,” Reynolds said. “It’s not like he’s trying to keep me here for himself. He’s here for everybody.”

Reynolds also turned to several NBA players including former Villanova player and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Randy Foye, and Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young and guard Louis Williams. The two 76ers informed Reynolds that NBA life is a lot different than being in college.

“[Young and Williams] said just know that it’s a different world,” Reynolds said. “It’s not like college, it’s an all year round thing.”

After gathering all of the information from the people around him about the draft and the NBA, Reynolds decided to declare for this June’s draft. By not signing an agent, he will have another difficult to decision to make – stay in the draft or come back to Villanova. He must make that decision by June 15.

Until then, Reynolds is focused on one thing only, improving his game. He is currently working out three times a day at Villanova, which includes weight training and pool sessions. He wants to make sure that he plays as well as he knows he can over the next two months.

“I’m going to put 100 percent into the draft and the workouts and not try to look at it as an experience but to try to better myself and to make a team.”

In that quest to make a team, Reynolds must impress just one NBA scout to get his shot. Currently, the major criticisms of Reynolds are that he is a scoring guard that is too small to play anything other than point guard. Reynolds is fully aware of these assessments of his game and is quick to dismiss them.

“Whatever you need from me, I’ll be able to give you,” Reynolds said. “Whether it’s not taking the shot and setting up the offense or being able to play both positions.”

Although his hopes are high and his dream has always been to play in the NBA, if he cannot convince scouts, Reynolds would have no problem returning to school for his senior season.

“It would be a blessing to play in that league,” Reynolds said. “If it doesn’t work, I’d be blessed to come back here and lead the Wildcats as a senior.”

Regardless of what happens, Reynolds is thankful for his time at Villanova. Whatever happens over the next two months, it will not change at least one thing for him.

“I’m a Villanova basketball player,” he said. “I’ll always be a Wildcat. No matter if I’m here or not, that’s how I approach it.”

He may always consider himself a Wildcat, but whether he’s a player or a fan next season has now become an uncertainity.