DEKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University junior Eugene German (Gary, Ind./21st Century Charter) announced on Wednesday his intention to declare for the 2019 NBA Draft, while maintaining his eligibility to return to college. 

"The next step for me is to go through this process and see where I'm at," said German "My goal is to get better by going through the workouts and seeing what I can improve on. If I get picked up it's a blessing, but it is also a blessing to be able to come back to school, so I'm just looking to get better and get feedback on what I need to improve on."

This past season, German averaged 20.4 points per game, second-best in the Mid-American Conference and 41st nationally. The Gary, Ind., native scored in double figures in 30 of 31 games played, including 18 contests of 20-plus points. German concluded his junior season with 631 points, the fourth-most points in a single-season in school history. 

German shot 41.4 percent from behind the three-point arc in 2018-19, the 34th-best mark in the nation, and set a new NIU single-season, school record with 87 made three-point field goals. Along with his prolific scoring numbers, German averaged 5.2 rebounds per game, including 4.6 defensive rebounds per contest, tied for 12th-best in the MAC, and nearly three assists per game. 

A Second Team All-MAC honoree, German became just the 12th player in NIU history to earn All-MAC honors twice, he also became NIU's first two-time all-district selection since Xavier Silas (2010-11) when he was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District 14 Second Team. 

German became the first Huskie to be named to the MAC's All-Tournament Team since 2003 as he averaged 27.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest, shooting 66.7 percent (32-of-48) from the field, including 52.4 percent (11-of-21) from three-point range, as he helped guide the Huskies to the MAC Semifinals for the first time in 16 years. 

In three seasons at NIU, German has scored 1,569 career points, sixth-most in school history and just 427 points behind Huskie career record holder T.J. Lux's 1,996 points (1995-2000). 

The NBA deadline to declare early entry eligibility for the 2019 Draft is April 21, the NBA Draft Combine will take place May 14-19 in Chicago and the NBA Draft is scheduled for June 20.