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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Sophomore Brandon Bass, the Southeastern Conference player and scholar-athlete of the year, has applied for the NBA draft and cannot return to LSU.
Bass announced the decision Friday. After being selected the SEC freshman of the year, he declared for the draft but later withdrew his name. A player can only do that once and return to college.
"I have improved tremendously over the past two years and have enjoyed my time at LSU," Bass said. "But after carefully seeking out and gathering all the information I can, I feel this is the right time to pursue my dream to play in the NBA."
Bass averaged 17.3 points and 9.1 rebounds for the Tigers (20-10, 13-5 SEC), who won the league's West Division. Bass scored in double figures in 27 of 30 games and had 12 double-doubles.
LSU coach John Brady said he has supported Bass throughout his decision-making process.
"He has taken the necessary steps to make this important decision," Brady said. "I am confident he will be successful in this next step in his career, and I truly appreciate all he has done for our basketball program at LSU."
The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 15.1 points and 8.2 rebounds in his two seasons at LSU and ranks third all-time in blocks with 104.
