Texas’ Hamilton, Joseph, And Thompson Declare For NBA Draft

Three Texas Longhorns, including leading scorer Jordan Hamilton, have chosen to become eligible for the 2011 NBA Draft.

Hamilton, a sophomore swingman who averaged 18.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last season, will hire and agent and forego his final two seasons at the school.

"I want to thank everyone at The University of Texas, especially the fans, for all of their support over the last two years...I have really grown as a person. My family and I really took our time with this decision and waited to get a good feel of what this year's draft class would look like and where I can be drafted. With all the information we received, it is best for me to move forward now and pursue this opportunity. I will finish my spring semester classes and will always be a Longhorn."

Also putting their names in the hat for the NBA are freshman forward/center Tristan Thompson and freshman guard Cory Joseph. Both will submit their names for the draft, but will not hire an agent, thus leaving open the possibility of returning to school.

Thompson was Texas' second-leading scorer during the 2010-11 season, averaging 13.1 points with a team-best 7.8 rebounds in 36 games. He also led the squad with 86 blocked shots.

A first-team All-Freshman as voted by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the 6-foot-8 Thompson was second in the Big 12 in rebounding and led the conference with an average of 3.8 offensive boards per game.

Joseph led the team in assists with 3.0 per game, steals (37) and three-point field goal percentage (.413), and tied for fourth in scoring at 10.4 per contest.