LOS ANGELES – UCLA men’s basketball sophomore Kyle Anderson has elected to forego his remaining collegiate eligibility and enter the 2014 NBA Draft.
Anderson secured first-team All-Pac-12 honors and was named a third-team Associated Press All-America selection as a sophomore in 2013-14. He averaged closer to a triple-double than any player in the nation, registering 14.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. Anderson helped lead UCLA to a 28-9 overall record and the program’s first Pac-12 Tournament title and NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance since 2008.
“I want to thank everyone at UCLA for all they have done for me,” said Anderson. “My two years at UCLA were two of the best years of my life. It was a tough decision to make with my family since our last game, but I have decided to enter my name into the NBA Draft. I will still continue to embrace the UCLA community, and I hope they will do the same with me.
“I would also like to thank Coach Alford for everything he has done for both the team and me this year in so little time. Coach Alford worked hard at getting to know all of us from the outset and created a family atmosphere that was fun to be a part of. He helped me develop as a leader on and off the court, and I appreciate him giving me every opportunity to succeed.”
Anderson became the first player in Pac-12 history to record at least 200 rebounds and 200 assists in the same season. He finished his sophomore year having logged 527 points, 315 rebounds and 233 assists, becoming the fourth player in school history to have logged at least one triple-double. Anderson’s total of 233 assists ranks third on the school’s single-season list.
“We are all very happy for Kyle, who has a terrific opportunity to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA,” UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. “I know I speak for all of our coaches and players when I say his efforts here at UCLA were greatly appreciated. I’ve said time and again that Kyle was the best point guard in the country this past season. He had a tremendous year, helping lead us to the Sweet 16 and a Pac-12 Tournament championship. I firmly believe Kyle will have a long and productive NBA career and everyone involved with UCLA basketball wishes him the best.”
A 6-foot-9 guard from Fairview, N.J., Anderson played in 71 games (70 starts) for UCLA over two seasons, guiding the Bruins to the 2013 Pac-12 regular-season title, the 2014 Pac-12 Tournament championship and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. He averaged 12.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists in two seasons, shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range.
Anderson’s shooting percentage greatly improved during his sophomore season. His overall field goal percentage increased from 41.6 percent as a freshman to 48.0 percent as a sophomore, while his three-point field goal percentage jumped from 21.1 percent to 48.3 percent.
As a sophomore, Anderson led the Pac-12 with 16 double-doubles. He also finished the season as the Pac-12’s only player to rank in the conference’s top five in assists per game (1st, 6.5), rebounds (3rd, 8.8) and steals (3rd, 1.8) while ranking 13th in scoring (14.6 ppg).
The 2014 NBA Draft will begin at 4 p.m. (PT) on Thursday, June 26 in New York City.
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