Junior guard Justin Anderson (Montross, Va.) announced Monday (April 13) that he will forego his final season of eligibility at Virginia and enter the 2015 NBA Draft. The draft will be held on June 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
“I have decided to leave the University of Virginia and enter the 2015 NBA Draft,” Anderson said. “It’s been a life-long dream of mine to play in the NBA and I’ve had an incredible experience here at UVa. It’s really difficult to say goodbye, but I feel I’m ready to make the next step in my basketball career at the professional level.”
Anderson played in 98 games with 45 starts in his career at UVa. He averaged 8.9 points and 3.5 rebounds, and shot 43 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from 3-point range and 75.2 percent from the free throw line. He helped lead Virginia to 83 wins, two NCAA tournaments, two ACC regular-season titles and its second ACC Tournament championship in school history during his three seasons on Grounds.
“As a kid growing up in Virginia, it was important to me to play collegiately in my home state and make UVa one of the premier programs in the ACC and in all of college basketball. I want to thank Coach Bennett and his staff for giving me the opportunity to play here. I also want thank my teammates, University administration and my professors for three amazing years.”
Anderson averaged career highs in points (12.2), rebounds (4.0), 3-point shooting (45.2%) and minutes (27.8) in 2014-15, helping lead the Cavaliers to a school-record tying 30 wins, ACC regular season championship and NCAA third round appearance. Anderson was named to the NABC All-America Third Team and All-ACC Second Team (coaches and media), and was a finalist for the Julius Erving Award. Anderson was leading the ACC in 3-point shooting at 48.2 percent prior to missing the last eight games of the regular season with a broken hand and appendectomy.
Anderson reached double-figure scoring in 18 of 26 games during the season, including a season-high 21 points in a road win at VCU on Dec. 6. He tallied a career-high 24 points as a freshman against Iowa and was named the ACC Sixth Man of the Year by the ACC media as a sophomore.
“I thank Justin for three great years at UVa,” head coach Tony Bennett said. “Justin has been an outstanding player, ambassador and role model for our program and we’ll miss him. He has worked hard on his game, and has earned this opportunity to realize his life-long dream of playing in the NBA. He helped us win a lot of games and will always be a part of the Virginia basketball family.”
Virginia has produced NBA draft selections in two of the last three NBA drafts. Mike Scott (Atlanta) and Joe Harris (Cleveland) are former Cavaliers currently playing in the NBA. The last UVa underclassman selected in the NBA draft was Roger Mason in 2002.
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Chris Graham
