BATON ROUGE – LSU forward Jordan Mickey announced late Tuesday morning that he is foregoing his final two years of eligibility to enter his name in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Coach Johnny Jones was notified of the decision and some members of the media received a text message with the announcement.
“Today I will be announcing that I will forego my final two years of eligibility here at LSU and enter my name in the 2015 NBA Draft,” the text from Mickey stated. “This was a tough decision because I hate to leave my teammates and LSU family. We have been through a lot in the past two years as we have grown as a team. This is just the beginning for LSU, I’m confident great things are coming in the near future for this team as they continue to grow. I wanted things to end on a better note but due to injuries I was limited in what I could do for my team, trust that I gave it my all.
“After discussing my options with my family I believe it is my time to move on and accept new challenges at the next level. I want to first thank “God” for giving me the talent to play the game that I love so much. I want to thank my Mom and Dad for all of the support they have gave me over the years. Last but not least I want to thank the Coaching staff, Teammates and the LSU fans, I will always be a Tiger at heart forever,” the text from Mickey concluded.
Mickey, a First-Team All-SEC selection in 2015 after earning second-team and all-freshman honors in 2014, was just named earlier as a Lefty Driesell All-American and a finalist for the Driesell National Defensive Player of the Year. Mickey led the league in rebounding at 9.9 a game, was second on the team in scoring at 15.4 points a game and led the nation in blocks at 3.64 a contest. He was the only player to block more than 100 shots in a season (106 in 2014, 113 in 2015) at LSU other than Shaquille O’Neal. He also led the SEC in double-doubles with 16 this season.
“I want to thank Jordan Mickey for the impact that he made on the LSU Basketball program over the last two years,” said LSU Coach Johnny Jones. “Jordan’s growth, hard work and competitive spirit allowed us to compete at a higher level. We want to wish Jordan and his family all the best as he continues to pursue the next chapter of his basketball career.”