Speights To Remain In NBA Draft
Thursday, June 12, 2008 | Men's Basketball
University of Florida center Marreese Speights (St. Petersburg, Fla.) will keep his name in the upcoming NBA Draft, forgoing his final two years of eligibility.
Speights entered his name in the draft on April 8, but left open the option of a return to Florida. After numerous NBA workouts, however, Speights received enough positive feedback to remain in the draft, to be held on June 26 in New York, N.Y.
“I had the opportunity to speak with Marreese this morning and based on the information he is receiving, he informed me of his intentions to remain in the NBA Draft,” said University of Florida head coach Billy Donovan. “I completely support his decision, this is what he wants to do. I wish him nothing but the best of luck on June 26 and in the future.”
Speights finished second on UF in scoring during his sophomore season, averaging 14.5 points per game. He led the Gators in rebounding with 8.1 rebounds per contest, as well as team-highs of 49 blocked shots and 10 double-doubles.
“I want to thank Coach Donovan and the entire staff for helping me develop my game and become a better player over the past two years,” said Speights. “Even though I'm leaving the University of Florida early, I'll forever be a Gator.”
He scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds against Massachusetts in the semifinals of the MasterCard NIT in what would be the final game of his career. In his two-year career, Speights averaged 9.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and blocked 64 shots.
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