Apr 17, 2007, 23:50 GMT
Los Angeles, CA - Southern California junior guard/forward Nick Young announced at a press conference on Tuesday that he made himself eligible for the NBA Draft.
'It was a tough decision,' said Young. 'I'm very confident. It's a dream come true. I had help from my coaching staff; my high school coach, my family and I'm just trying to make a better life for my family situation.'
Young averaged 17.5 ppg for USC this past season and his 647 points scored rank as the fourth most ever in a single season by a Trojan.
'(USC head coach Tim Floyd) helped me on defense and helped me to get mentally right and just made me a better man as I grew up here,' said Young. 'He had dreams of me coming back but anything I wanted to do, he was behind me. He said as long as you're going in the first round, I'm going to support you. If you were making a dumb decision, he would have told me to come back.'
Young was voted the USC team MVP this past season and has won or shared the award in his three seasons at the school. He is one of just four Trojans to accomplish this feat, joining John Rudometkin, Ron Riley and Ronnie Coleman.
'Nick has played well enough to receive consideration from the NBA,' said Floyd. 'He has our support and we wish him the best. He will have a home here if things do not work out the way he would like with the NBA.'
Young has not yet hired an agent but he plans to in the near future.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Your Talkback on this Story