BOISE — Boise State guard Derrick Alston Jr. is expected to soon declare for the NBA Draft, but he will leave open the possibility of returning for his senior season with the Broncos, the Idaho Press has learned.

The move should be seen as expected given Alston has nothing to lose by ‘testing the NBA waters.’ NBA rules allow undergraduate players to declare for the draft and work out for NBA teams to gain feedback before making a final decision on whether to remain in the draft or return to school.

“That’s what I would certainly think would be the best option,” Boise State coach Leon Rice told the Idaho Press recently.

The 6-foot-9 Alston is returning home to Houston to be with his family, and a formal announcement on his intentions to declare for the draft could come as early as Monday.

Alston led the Broncos with 17.3 points per game this past season to help the Broncos to a 20-12 record and a spot in the semifinals of the conference tournament. He also averaged 5.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists on his way to earning All-Mountain West Second Team honors.

His combination of size, skill and athleticism make him an intriguing NBA prospect, but whether he is ready to make the jump now or could use his final year in college is the potentially multi-million dollar question.

“We sat down and talked and the good thing about Derrick is he has a great feel for things,” Rice said. “He’s a worker and he knows he wants to keep getting better and he is going to keep getting better and that’s our No. 1 focus.”

Scouts flocked to watch Alston play this past year, but they left with differing opinions depending on the game. One member of an NBA team’s scouting department told the Idaho Press recently, “I’ve heard such mixed reviews on him.”

Alston has until April 16 at 11:59 p.m. ET to request an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee, which is a required step for those who want to maintain the option of returning to school. He then would have to formally declare for the draft by April 26th at 11:59 p.m. ET.

NBA teams can’t contact undergraduate prospects until the final list is announced after the deadline has passed. Alston would then potentially be able to set up workouts for teams and/or be invited to the NBA combine in Chicago in May.

The final deadline to withdraw from the draft and return to college is June 3 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

But at this point who knows if prospects will even be able to travel to work out with NBA teams or if the combine will take place due to the current restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The NBA season is currently suspended and likely won’t be complete by the current date of the NBA Draft on June 25 unless the rest of the season gets canceled before then. And it would seem unlikely the NBA would hold the draft if the season wasn’t over.

All of that would seemingly be a factor in Alston’s final decision.

“Right now everything is on hold,” Rice said. “We don’t even know what the timeline is or how this is going to play out or when the draft is even going to be or the combine or workouts. We just don’t know right now.”

Boise State was in a similar spot with Chandler Hutchison, who declared after his junior season and worked out for a few NBA teams before withdrawing his name and returning for his senior year. He had a big senior year and was drafted No. 22 overall in the first round by the Chicago Bulls in the 2018 NBA Draft.

James Webb III elected to stay in the 2016 NBA Draft as a junior but went undrafted. He played 10 NBA games for the Brooklyn Nets during the 2017-18 season, but he has mostly played in the G League and overseas. He likely would have been drafted had he come back for his senior season.

Rice said no decision had been made on whether Alston would keep his name in the draft or return to school, but said he was confident his family would help make the right decision.

Alston’s dad is the head coach of the Westchester Knicks of the NBA Developmental League and is well connected with NBA scouts and personnel. Derrick Alston Sr. also had a long career as a player. He was the No. 33 overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1994 Draft and played professionally for 18 years, including two years in the NBA and 16 years overseas.

Should Alston return, Boise State arguably would have the most talented team in program history and be one of the top contenders to win the Mountain West next season. The Broncos, who add four Division I transfers that sat out last season, also bring back a pair of starters in RayJ Dennis and Oregon transfer Abu Kigab.

With Alston the Broncos likely would have a shot at reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. Without him? Rice and the Broncos hope they don’t have to find out.