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Neemias Queta will return next season for Utah State men’s basketball team

Utah State's Neemias Queta (23) pulls down a rebound as Wyoming's Trevon Taylor, left, defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Mountain West Conference men's tournament Friday, March 6, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

The Utah State Aggies were going to be without Sam Merrill and Abel Porter next season after the former graduated and the latter transferred to Ohio State. But they will get one of their main players back.

Center Neemias Queta announced Sunday that he will return to USU for his junior season. There was a question as to whether he would declare for the NBA draft this summer after doing so last year but eventually coming back for his sophomore season.

Queta won’t be doing that this time.

“My dream has always been to play in NBA, but now is not the right time to declare for the Draft,” Queta wrote in a message on Twitter. “We have continued to build a great program here at Utah State and it is one that I am very proud of representing.”

Queta missed the start of his sophomore season with a knee injury, but came back with a fury. The center was the second leading scorer for the Aggies last year at 13 points per game, and he also averaged nearly eight rebounds. He was named to the all-District 17 second team.