Marcus Williams says playing in NBA 'has always been a dream of mine.'
Arizona sophomore Marcus Williams has decided to declare for the NBA draft.
He made his decision public this afternoon at McKale Center in front of his mom, Gayle Williams of Seattle, UA associate head coach Jim Rosborough and UA assistant coach Miles Simon.
“I think I’m ready,” Williams said. “It’s going to give me a lot of opportunities to give back to my community. I felt like it was time.
“It was a hard decision, but the coaching staff has been great. I’ve had a lot of support from them.”
Williams said he would hire an agent, which means he can not come back to UA.
His decision was no surprise. UA coach Lute Olson has said several time during the past six weeks that Williams appeared headed to the pros.
Williams averaged 16.6 points and 6.7 rebounds a game last season and was named to the All-Pacific-10 Conference’s first team.
Williams had contemplated leaving after his freshman season, but he called a news conference to say he’d stay at least one more season.
For his career, Williams averaged 14.8 points and 5.6 rebounds.
Williams, 20, becomes the ninth UA underclassmen to declare for the draft, although three (Jason Gardner, Chris Rodgers and Mustafa Shakur) decided to return after testing the waters but not hiring an agent.
The NBA Draft is set for June 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Marcus Williams was UA's leading scorer.