LOS ANGELES – UCLA men’s basketball freshman Zach LaVine has elected to forego his remaining collegiate eligibility and enter the 2014 NBA Draft.
LaVine captured Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors in 2013-14, helping lead UCLA to a 28-9 overall record and the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance and Pac-12 Tournament title since 2008. The 6-foot-5 guard from Seattle averaged 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for the Bruins.
“I am excited to announce that I will be declaring for the 2014 NBA Draft,” LaVine said. “I first and foremost want to thank my family for all their support in helping me through this journey to achieve my dream of playing in the NBA. I also want to thank my coaches, UCLA, my teammates and all of the fans. I will forever be proud to call myself a Bruin and will never forget the memories that were made here. I truly can’t wait for this next chapter in my life, and again thank everyone for all their support.”
LaVine shot 44.1 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range for the Bruins, playing in all 37 games. LaVine’s 48 three-point field goals are the second-most by any freshman in school history. He ranked fourth among all Pac-12 freshmen in scoring and three-point field goal percentage.
“It has been exciting to see Zach develop from the time he first set foot on campus at UCLA to where he is today,” UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. “Zach has only begun to scratch the surface of his potential and has an extremely bright future ahead of him. It has been a pleasure to watch him grow both as a basketball player and person this past year, and I look forward to watching Zach play in the NBA for many years to come.”
LaVine scored in double figures in 17 games, including nine of his first 10 contests. He earned All-Tournament Team honors at the 2013 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational after having averaged 19.5 points in two games at Orleans Arena. LaVine scored a season-high 21 points against Nevada on Nov. 28, and he grabbed a season-high eight rebounds against Oregon on Feb. 27.
In UCLA’s 91-82 win at Washington on March 6, LaVine scored 11 of the Bruins’ final 14 points to help UCLA pull away with a crucial conference road win.
The 2014 NBA Draft will begin at 4 p.m. (PT) on Thursday, June 26 in New York City.
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