UCLA sophomore guard Arron Afflalo made official what had been
speculation for several weeks by announcing on Saturday that he has
withdrawn his name from the upcoming NBA Draft and will return to
school for his junior year. Over a teleconference call he held with
UCLA coach Ben Howland on Saturday afternoon, Afflalo cited the
lack of a guarantee from an NBA organization that he would be its
first-round draft choice as the reason he came back to UCLA. He had
worked out for five teams – Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles
Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers –
but he was not invited to the NBA pre-draft workout camp in
Orlando, which triggered rumors that he was not highly touted
enough to be a top selection. Only first-round selections are
offered guaranteed contracts, and Afflalo didn’t want to take
such a financial risk knowing that he still had at least another
year in college to improve his draft stock. “I got a lot of
positive feedback from this (process) that it required a lot of
thought,” he said. “I was looking for something
specific, a guarantee, and it’s too early for that kind of a
risk.” Afflalo wasn’t disappointed, and thought of the
process as an opportunity to receive feedback from professional
scouts on what aspects of his game he still needs to improve upon
before advancing to the next level. More specifically, Afflalo said
that he was told he has room to grow as a ball handler who can
create scoring chances for his teammates as well as himself.
Afflalo called the whole process a “win-win situation,”
as he is content to return to UCLA for a third season with his
dream of becoming an NBA player still intact. “I enjoy
playing with my teammates and hopefully I’ll make a lot of
people happy with this decision,” he said. Afflalo relied on
Howland as a source of guidance throughout the process, as the two
spoke frequently during the past few weeks. “I want
what’s best for him,” Howland said. “I’m
sure this is what’s best for him and his family. We’re
fortunate to have him back in the program. “No doubt one day
he will be in the NBA. It’s a question of when, not
if.” The attention now turns to sophomore point guard Jordan
Farmar, who has until the 1 p.m. deadline on Sunday to decide
whether he will keep himself eligible for the NBA Draft. If he does
not withdraw his name, Farmar will forgo his last two years at
UCLA. Both Farmar and Afflalo had left themselves with the chance
to return to school by not hiring an agent during the draft
process. But if Farmar doesn’t withdraw by the Sunday
deadline, he will be ineligible under NCAA regulations regardless.
Howland had spoken to his point guard on Tuesday and Thursday, and
said that he would probably speak with him again before he makes
his choice one way or the other. Farmar was widely considered the
higher ranked prospect of the UCLA guard tandem, as he was invited
to the pre-draft camp for workouts. He has also indicated that he
would only stay in the draft if an organization guaranteed him a
first-round selection. It is unclear whether that has happened as
of yet.
MATA HAS SURGERY: Sophomore center Lorenzo Mata
had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Friday. The procedure
was performed by team physician Dr. Gerald Finerman. A small tear
of Mata’s medial meniscus was removed. Mata will rehabilitate his
knee for three to four weeks before participating in team workouts.
Finerman said that Mata had been having pain in his right knee and
an MRI showed an abnormal signal in his meniscus. Mata suffered a
nondisplaced right tibial plateau fracture on Jan. 12 and missed 14
games. According to a UCLA press release, the fracture has healed
completely and there is no residual damage to the joint.
SCHEDULE RELEASED: UCLA released its basketball
schedule for the 2006-2007 season on Friday. The Bruins play at
West Virginia on Feb. 10, 2007 and play Michigan at Pauley Pavilion
on Dec. 23. UCLA also plays in the Maui Invitational Nov. 20-22,
along with Kentucky, Memphis, Chaminade, Depaul, Georgia Tech,
Oklahoma and Purdue.