Apparently just reaching the NCAA men’s basketball championship game was enough for two of Arizona’s skilled juniors.
On Sunday, forward Richard Jefferson followed his “lifelong dream” and announced he would forego his senior season to declare himself for the NBA draft.
And then on Monday — one week after Arizona’s season ended — forward Michael Wright followed Jefferson’s lead and decided that he, too, has played his last game in a Wildcat uniform.
“I think we are all working towards the goal of being professionals, and I think this is my time to go after it with all my energies,” Wright said.
The loss of Jefferson and Wright is huge because of their talent, but even more so when considering that Arizona also had to say goodbye to senior big men Loren Woods, Eugene Edgerson and Justin Wessel.
That leaves sophomore forward Luke Walton as the most experienced returning big man for a team that currently has no true center. Clearly, when the Wildcats take the floor for the first time in November they will resemble a much different team than the one that lost 82-72 to Duke in the title game April 2.
What makes Jefferson and Wright’s departure somewhat surprising is Arizona head coach Lute Olson’s track record with keeping his players in school all four years. Prior to this season, only two players (Brian Williams in 1991 and Mike Bibby in 1998) have left Arizona early for the NBA Draft in the 18 years Olson has headed the Wildcats program.
Wright, a 6-foot-7, 238-pound forward who was one of only two ‘Cats to start all 36 games, led Arizona with a 59.4 field goal percentage and 7.8 rebounds per game. He also averaged 15.6 points per game and displayed his soft touch at the free-throw line, where he shot just less than 80 percent.
“I am grateful to the U of A basketball program for helping me grow on and off the court,” Wright said. “Tucson took me into their hearts, and I leave Tucson as a better person.”
The impact of Jefferson’s absence can be understood by looking at his 2000-01 stats and where they ranked among the talented Wildcats last season. The 6-foot-7, 222-pound forward from Phoenix, Ariz., finished his junior campaign with 28 blocks (second on the team), 5.4 rebounds per game (third), 31 three-pointers (third), 94 assists (third) and 27 steals (fourth).
“I feel like the time is right for me to go,” Jefferson said. “I have enjoyed every minute as a member of this program.”
With the announcement of Jefferson and Wright’s departure, the speculation now turns to sophomore guard Gilbert Arenas. The Arizona coaching staff filed for NBA evaluations on Jefferson, Wright, Arenas and Gardner last week. While Gardner will most likely stay, Arenas has until May 13th to declare for the draft.
“What [the NBA does] is give you a projection based on all the information on where all the kids would go [in the draft],” Arizona associate head coach Jim Rosborough told the Tucson Citizen.
Rosborough said Arenas will probably declare for the draft without hiring an agent, which would allow him to return to Arizona if he wasn’t satisfied with his draft placement.
The NBA draft will take place June 27 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.