Arizona men’s basketball junior forward Brandon Ashley announced his intentions to enter the 2015 NBA Draft Wednesday afternoon.
The 6-foot-9 forward leaves the program after helping guide the Wildcats to a pair of Pac-12 Conference championships, a Pac-12 tournament title last month and three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.
“I am very proud of my time at Arizona, especially of the success I’ve had with my Wildcat brothers over the last three years,” Ashley said in a statement. “I want to thank Coach (Sean) Miller, the coaching staff, the administration, the fans and the city of Tucson for an incredible college experience and unforgettable support.”
Ashley returned to Arizona for his junior year after suffering a season-ending foot injury as a sophomore.
In his junior season, Ashley ranked second on the team with 12.2 points per game and led the team in scoring on 11 occasions.
Ashley was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2015 Pac-12 Tournament after leading the Arizona with 19.7 ppg, including a career-high 24 point performance in a semifinal victory over UCLA.
“His performance in this year’s Pac-12 Tournament is a sign of many things to come in his future, and we know he’ll be a success in his professional career moving forward,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said in a statement. “We will miss Brandon’s consistency and maturity off the court in so many ways.”
Ashley is the second Wildcat to declare for the draft in the last day or so, joining forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
It’s speculated forward Stanley Johnson and center Kaleb Tarczewski could join Ashley and Hollis-Jefferson shortly.
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