Posted Thursday, March 30, 5:55 PM

With the success of the GW men’s basketball team comes recognition and for GW basketball fans, it may bring anxiety. Junior Danilo (J.R.) Pinnock will declare for the NBA Draft, the guard told The Hatchet Thursday afternoon.

Pinnock will file paperwork with the NBA that will make him eligible to participate in workouts with teams and play in the NBA-sponsored pre-draft camp in Orlando, Fla., from June 6-10.

The Georgia native said he will not hire an agent and intends to return to GW for his senior year.

“I am a Colonial,” Pinnock said Thursday. “I’m going to test the waters and see what happens but I intend to be back in the fall.”

GW head men’s basketball coach Karl Hobbs said he supports Pinnock’s decision to enter the draft and added that NBA scouts have told him positive things about Pinnock’s play.

In light of draft impropriety leveled against senior Pops Mensah-Bonsu at the beginning of this season, Pinnock said he plans be overly cautious with following the rules that would allow him to return to GW next season.

College undergraduates are permitted to enter the draft and retain college eligibility if the player does not hire an agent. The deadline for withdrawing from the draft and retaining eligibility is June 18, 10 days before the NBA Draft in New York.

Last season, Mensah-Bonsu and classmate Mike Hall entered the draft but only Mensah-Bonsu was invited to the pre-draft camp, traditionally held in Chicago.

-Will Dempster contributed to this report