Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter.....

Northern Illinois sophomore point guard Eugene German announced last month his intention to declare for the 2018 NBA Draft, without hiring an agent, maintaining his ability to return to college.

German led the Mid-American Conference in scoring with 20.6 points per game. He scored in double figures during all 32 games of the 2017-18 season. His 659 points last season are the third most in a single season in NIU history.

Josh Tolentino: How has your offseason been going? What’s the vibe of your workouts been like?

Eugene German: My offseason has been going pretty good. I've been trying to stay in the lab. Keep getting better and better everyday. Staying dedicated and not getting distracted by other things. I'm just trying to stay humble and stay in the gym.

JT: What was the whole process like with declaring for the 2018 NBA Draft?

EG: I talked to my parents. I talked to assistant coach JB (Borovich) and (head coach Mark) Montgomery. I know I can compete with anyone at that level. I feel like I can get feedback and see how things go. I can find out what I need to work on. If things go south, I can always come back to school.

JT: Is that your main intention with all of this? To get feedback and then come back to NIU? Will you come back?

EG: I'm not sure yet. I'm still going with the process. Going with the flow.

JT: I know you're a gym rat, but this is a pretty big step with you declaring. Does that change anything to your workouts? Do you put an extra rep in? Anything at all

EG: Oh, yeah. The breaks I take during my workouts don’t take as long as I usually take. I try to get in the weight room more throughout the week. I try to get in the gym more. I usually go five days a week, but I've been doing a lot of two-a-days.

JT: What are some specific parts of your game you’re trying to improve?

EG: I've been working out my legs a lot. Making sure every part of my body is being worked on. I'm trying to make sure I get stronger and get mentally tough, too. I've been watching a lot of film and talking to the guy and understanding the process they’re going through, too. I try to at least get 500 shots a day and get some reps to the rim. I've been working on some different types of finishes.

JT: Out of those 500 shots, what does a good day look like for you?

EG: I at least try to get 350 to 375 in. I'm not trying to miss too many shots.

JT: What was your reaction like when you found out you were named All-MAC Second Team? What were you doing when you found out?

EG: Actually just woke up from a nap. I woke up from a nap and I saw it. I felt it was ridiculous because I put in so much work. I kind of understand about the things that go into it, we've got to win and stuff. But I feel like I still had a good enough season to be on the All-MAC First Team. I felt it was ridiculous.

I talked to my parents. They told me I’ve been going through a lot my whole life. They said things haven’t been going my way my whole life. It was just another obstacle. I had to keep working and keep focused.

JT: Why do you think it was so hard for your team to finish on the road this year?

EG: It was all on our mind. We went in and thought we had to get this win. We can't be thinking like that. We’ve just got to go and play basketball. We think about it too much. We couldn't get our first conference road win. We just had to go in and play basketball.

JT: If you do come back to school, do you believe this team has what it takes to win and compete at a high level?

EG: Most definitely. Jalen Key was a big piece and he didn't play last year. I feel like we would’ve won a lot of games that we lost with J.Key. Just adding him can turn our whole team around. He's that good.