Another Bruin is headed to the NBA.
UCLA men’s basketball sophomore guard Jaylen Hands announced via his Twitter account Sunday afternoon that he intends to forgo his final two years of college eligibility and enter the 2019 NBA Draft.
To UCLA … thank you for the best 2 years of my life! Thank you for each and every high and low. Thank you to my family, coaches, teammates, and supporters along the way. I have signed with an agent and will enter the 2019 NBA Draft with the full intent to stay in. #GodsPlan pic.twitter.com/S5X8EVPtaQ
— Jaylen Hands (@JHANDS08) April 7, 2019
Hands also entered his name into the draft pool after his freshman season, but decided to return to UCLA after not hiring an agent.
The former five-star recruit appeared in 64 games over two seasons with the program, starting in 46 of them. As the team’s full-time starter this past season, Hands averaged 14.2 points, 6.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game – earning him second-team All-Pac-12 honors.
Hands – a projected second-round pick – is the second Bruin this offseason to declare for the draft after sophomore guard Kris Wilkes announced his plan to leave last month. UCLA is still awaiting word from sophomore guard Chris Smith and freshman center Moses Brown, both of whom have appeared in mock drafts in the past few months.
The deadline for early entry into the NBA Draft is April 21st.