Deonte Burton faced a difficult decision at the conclusion of his junior season. Would he stay at the University of Nevada, Reno? Or would he leave for the NBA draft?

The 21-year-old Nevada point guard saw two roads before him.

One road led to a senior season at the University of Nevada, Reno where he could be the first in his family to earn a college degree. This trail could also lead him to helping Nevada redeem itself in the Mountain West Conference after finishing last. Through the difficult season, the Wolf Pack fans did not waiver, and because of this Burton felt drawn to stick with them. Finally, a senior season gave him another shot at competing in what all college athletes strive for, an appearance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament.

Yet, the other road would take him closer to achieving what he’s been dreaming of and working for since he picked up a ball at 9 years old. The hours and days spent on the court and in the weight room were done for the love of the game and more. It was also done in the hopes of one day competing in the most elite level of basketball, the National Basketball Association.

It was the night before Burton would announce the decision that could greatly alter his life’s path. In his dark room he lay in bed and thought about the press conference that awaited him the next day.

Questions and concerns circled around and around in his head.

“What if I trip on the stage? How was I going to start it off? Am I going to mess up on saying things, certain words? Or am I not even going to say anything?”

The nerves began to build up inside him as he tossed and turned. He was unable to succumb to the desire to get a good night's rest. The seconds, minutes and hours passed.

Burton was torn between the two.

The 2012-2013 season had officially come to a close for the Nevada Wolf Pack after losing the play-in game to the University of Wyoming 85-81, where Burton finished with 27 points and six assists. Burton could no longer use his “focus on the season” as an excuse to shy away from the question that was on everybody’s mind.

Whether he was at the grocery store, bowling or even at restaurants, Burton would be approached by strangers who would ask him the million-dollar question: “Hey Deonte, are you staying or leaving?”

Without an introduction, a hello or how are you, these strangers wanted to know the answer that Burton did not yet know himself.

“Wherever I went the question was there,” Burton said. “It didn’t go away.”

He said that he heard the question at least once a day.

Burton first garnered attention from the NBA after his freshman year when he was declared the Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year (2010-2011). He averaged a whopping 17.3 points and 4.1 assists that year.

“I was absolutely shocked,” said Derek Burton, Burton’s father, of when he first heard that his son was on the NBA draft site.

Derek Burton said that he first heard it from a coach at a Los Angeles summer tournament in 2011 that Burton was playing in. The coach said that Burton was predicted as late first round.

“I was just there to watch Deonte’s game and he came and told me,” Derek Burton said. “I went home and sure enough he was on there, NBADraft.net, and he stayed on there. He stayed on the first round up until this year.”

However, Burton’s change in stock didn’t keep the agents and general managers from keeping an eye on the six-foot-one guard.

Burton gained even more attention from the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network in last season’s away game against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. An inbounds play where Malik Story, Nevada senior guard, passed it in to Burton for the dunk made it on ESPN’s top 10 plays for that day.

Burton was humbled by the talks of him having NBA talent.

“It feels like it’s fake just because I’ve dreamed about playing in the NBA my whole life,” Burton said. “Just talks of being in the NBA is very humbling to me. It’s an eye-opener.”

He went to different sources for advice on the decision he should make. He mainly discussed it with his parents, but he also talked to Derrion Burton, his brother, Rolland Pearsall, his cousin, Derrick Williams of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Carter. Carter expressed that at Nevada he knew what he could do for Burton, but entering the NBA draft would be venturing into the unknown.

Burton even went to his teammates for advice.

“I told him regardless of him staying or leaving, he would be making a good decision,” said Marqueze Coleman, Nevada freshman guard. “If he left, I felt like he would have been drafted and making money. And if he stayed, I know we would have a better year than last year, so that’s only going to help him for the Draft next year. So, I felt like he was in a win-win situation.”

Derek Burton explained that he thinks that if his son were to ask 100 people if he should stay or leave, he wanted them all to say the same thing. He went to various people because he wanted to be certain that he was making the right choice.

Yet, even with all the NBA hype, Derek Burton said that his son would often express how good the people at Nevada were to him.

It was now time for Burton to decide if he would stay at Nevada or leave for the NBA draft...