LOS ANGELES — Kevin Love and Darren Collison have probably played their last games for UCLA and will make themselves available for the NBA draft, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday, citing sources close to the players.
Both players confirmed their decisions in separate meetings with UCLA coach Ben Howland on Monday. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to make an announcement until after Howland holds a season-ending news conference today.
The Bruins are also expected to lose guard Russell Westbrook, a sophomore. He played opposite Collison, but moved to the point when Collison was injured early this season.
Along with those three stars, it’s possible the Bruins could lose as many as four other players. Juniors Josh Shipp and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute are mulling entering the NBA draft. Junior Alfred Aboya, who will earn his degree this summer, has indicated he may not use his final year of basketball eligibility and concentrate on getting a masters degree. Sophomore reserve Nikola Dragovic said he is considering going home to Serbia to play professionally.
Love, a 6-foot-10, 270-pound center, led the Bruins with averages of 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds. The freshman was Pacific 10 Conference player of the year, a first-team All-American and most outstanding player of the NCAA regional at Anaheim. Collison, a junior point guard, was a third-team All-American.
Elsewhere
ARIZONA: Sophomore Chase Budinger plans to explore his chances in the NBA draft, the second Wildcat player to consider his pro prospects. It’s not known whether Budinger will hire an agent, the team said Tuesday. If he doesn’t, he could keep his college eligibility if he withdraws his name 10 days before the draft on June 26. Budinger averaged 17.1 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Wildcats. On Saturday, freshman guard Jerryd Bayless announced he will enter the NBA draft. He led the Wildcats with a 19.7-point average and has been projected as a lottery pick.
ALABAMA: Ronald Steele, once one of college basketball’s top point guards, said Tuesday he will declare himself eligible for the NBA draft even though he missed last season following three knee operations. Steele said he won’t hire an agent, leaving open the option of returning for his senior season. He said he wants to get a better understanding of his NBA prospects.
LSU: Freshman forward Anthony Randolph intends to enter the NBA draft, although he has not hired an agent and is leaving open the possibility of returning to the Tigers for his sophomore year. The 6-foot-10 Randolph averaged 15.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks this season.
KANSAS: Will coach Bill Self abandon the Jayhawks for Oklahoma State?
Less than 12 hours after leading Kansas to the national championship, Self faced questions about whether he’s interested in the job at his alma mater, which parted ways with Sean Sutton on April 1. As he has for a week, Self said he plans to meet with Kansas officials soon about a contract extension.
Citing factors such as Kansas’ rich hoops tradition, Self said, “I’m not looking for more than what Kansas provides on a daily basis.”
The school gave Self a five-year contract extension last season, increasing his annual compensation to more than $1.3 million with a chance to make another $350,000 each year if he meets incentives.
But Self could likely command far more money from Oklahoma State, whose billionaire alumnus Boone Pickens, gave $165 million to the school’s athletic department.
MASSACHUSETTS: Coach Travis Ford doesn’t want to be considered for the coaching job vacancy at LSU. The Minutemen went 25-11 this past season, Ford’s third at the school, and lost the NIT championship to Ohio State 92-85 last Thursday.
Ford, whose name had been among those mentioned in connection with the LSU vacancy, also said after the NIT he was looking forward to coaching the Minutemen next season and had not talked with any other schools.
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