Connecticut’s Kemba Walker will forgo his senior year of eligibility and enter the 2011 NBA draft.
He made the announcement at a 3pm press conference Tuesday afternoon at UConn.
“I just want to thank everyone for coming out. There has been a lot of speculation about me going to the NBA and I want to confirm I’ll be giving up my Senior season and going to the NBA. I want to thank everybody. I want to thank coach Calhoun for turning me into a man from day one.”
Walker, who led UConn to its third national championship, is projected as a likely lottery pick and coach Jim Calhoun said he advised Walker to forgo his senior season.
“There no way I’m coming back,” Walker said. “Like coach said, they don’t have a scholarship for me.”
Although Walker has another year of eligibility, he will graduate from Connecticut in May. Walker took extra classes over the summer to ensure he would complete the necessary curriculum in three academic years.
“In life, you gotta keep going,” Coach Jim Calhoun said.
Walker averaged almost 24 points and five assists per game in leading UConn to a 32-9 record. He came in second in the AP National Player of the Year voting to BYU’s Jimmer Fredette.
Walker’s draft stock rose significantly throughout his junior season including an 11-0 run through the postseason. He accounted for 45 percent of his team’s points and led the Huskies to both the Big East and National Championships.
“I thought he was without question he a guy who was going to play at the highest level possible,” Calhoun said.
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