Apr 10, 2007, 22:05 GMT
Corvallis, OR - Oregon State forward Sasa Cuic will forego his senior season in the hopes of staring a professional career.
Cuic, a 6-foot-10 forward from Rijeka, Croatia, became just the 33rd 1,000- point scorer in Oregon State history last season. His best season was his sophomore year, as he averaged a team-high 13.5 points per game and led the Pac-10 in three-point percentage (49.3 percent).
His scoring average dropped to 11.6 points in 2006-07.
Cuic, who plans to place his name on the early-entry list for the NBA Draft, is currently in his native Croatia but expects to return to the U.S. in a couple of weeks.
'I feel the time is right for me to start my professional career,' Cuic said. 'I'm 23 years old. I'm in a good position to leave here as a better player. I've talked to the coaches a lot about it and I just feel it's time to move on. I'm very grateful to the coaching staff for the opportunity they gave me.'
In addition to Cuic's departure, Oregon State men's basketball coach Jay John announced that four other players will not be returning next season. Juniors Angelo Tsagarakis and Liam Hughes are planning to graduate and then transfer to play their final years at another school.
Meanwhile, junior Wesley Washington did not meet eligibility standards while freshman Vojin Svilar has elected to return to his native Serbia.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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