Oregon men’s basketball freshman Troy Brown Jr. announced on Tuesday that he will become a professional, forgoing his college eligibility.
“I know my time was very short, but I’ve made a ton of memories and friendships that will last a lifetime,” Brown said on Twitter. “I would like to thank everyone at the University of Oregon for all they’ve done to help me get to this point.”
pic.twitter.com/BCqzsveSuR
— Troy Brown Jr (@Troy_Brown33) April 3, 2018
Brown, a 6-foot-7 forward, averaged 31.2 minutes over his 35 games for Oregon. He shot 44.4 percent from the field while averaging 11. 3 points per game.
“Troy called me shortly after 1 p.m. today and informed me that he has decided to declare for the NBA Draft,” head coach Dana Altman said in a statement. “I told Troy we fully support his decision, and wish him the best.
“We really enjoyed working with Troy this year. He is a terrific young man and we look forward to the next chapter of his career in the NBA.”
Brown is the is the first Duck to declare for the NBA Draft following his freshman season.
The Las Vegas native was a five-star recruit for Oregon and had the task of filling a Final Four sized void left by the team before him.
In several mock drafts, Brown is listed as a first round choice. Last season, Jordan Bell, Tyler Dorsey and Dillon Brooks all were picked in the second round of the NBA Draft while Chris Boucher was picked up by the Golden State Warriors on a two-way contract. All four have played in the NBA this season.
Fortunately for the Ducks, Brown looks to be the only non-senior leaving for the NBA Draft as fellow freshman Kenny Wooten tweeted on March 21 that he would not enter the draft and will return to Eugene for his sophomore season.
Oregon will add four freshmen next season, including five-star center Bol Bol, five-star small forward Louis King, four-star shooting guard Will Richardson and four-star power forward Miles Norris as the Ducks look to make the NCAA Tournament after falling short this season.
Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow
