That was why his college situation was driving him batty.

Owing to some earlier academic struggles, Denard, a 6-1 senior guard at Freire Charter and first team Daily News All-City honoree, was unsure where he'd be heading. But now the answer is in: right down I-95.

Denard yesterday committed to Morgan State, in Baltimore, and he's planning to sit out next season even if he qualifies for freshman eligibility.

"I'm really happy," he gushed. "The stress is off my back. I finally know where I'm going to end up. Everything was so confusing. It was constantly, 'What's going to happen? Where will I be?' Now I know."

Denard said he also received interest from Temple, La Salle, Drexel, Marist, Texas A & M and James Madison, but he acknowledged that the academic component made cementing anything difficult; he made no visits to those schools.

Morgan State got involved after seeing him in a late-April AAU tournament in Washington, and a visit was made the following weekend.

"From the time I got there, coach [Todd] Bozeman and the other people were showing me a lot of love," Denard said. "Ameer Ali [ex-Simon Gratz star] is down there now and he was telling me lots of good things, how they're a building program and they're going to be even better in a couple years. I'm real comfortable with it.

"No matter what, I'm going to sit out next year. It'll give me a chance to get stronger and improve my academic picture. My mom [Dionne] wants that, too. She's all for it."

Denard, a lefty, last season averaged 23.6 points for the Dragons, the District 12 Class A champion.

"When I was little, I never thought basketball would lead to this for me," he said. "I've gotten so much help from my mom and Terron [Younger, Freire assistant and one of his AAU coaches; he made the first contact with Morgan] and my tutors, Marlon Garrett and Delgreco Wilson. They've all helped me get better as a player, and grow up. I thank them so much." *