Warren '98.9 percent' sure he's returning to OU

Willie Warren would be Oklahoma's go-to scorer in 2009-10 if he opts to return to school.
David E. Klutho/SI

MEMPHIS -- Oklahoma freshman Willie Warren, who had been projected as a Lottery Pick in June's NBA Draft, said on Saturday that he's coming back to Oklahoma for another season -- or at least that he's "98.9 percent sure" he's coming back.

"I want to play a year without Blake [Griffin] to see how good I am," Warren said. "I didn't come into college basketball to be a one-and-done player."

Warren said coach Jeff Capel has talked to him about his role as a playmaker next year, with senior point guard Austin Johnson gone, and the coach hopes Warren will take incoming freshman point guard Tommy Mason-Griffin under his wing.

But Warren also said there's a very slight possibility -- a 1.1 percent chance -- he'd reconsider his decision to return. "I'd have to have a pretty amazing rest of the tournament for me to do something like that," he told SI.com. "I'd have to average 30 the rest of the way. And I don't see that happening."