Brandon Roy Will Remain at Washington
April 25, 2005
SEATTLE - Junior Brandon Roy announced during a press conference Monday at Bank of America Arena that he will bypass early entry into the NBA draft and return for his final season with the University of Washington men's basketball team.
The 6-foot-6 guard was an honorable mention all-conference selection in 2005. He ranked second among Pac-10 players by converting 56.5 percent of his field goal attempts.
Roy was third on the team with a 12.8-point scoring average that ranked 17th among Pac-10 players. He was the Huskies' second-leading rebounder with 5.0 boards per game, a figure that ranked No. 20 in the Pac-10.
"The last three or four weeks have been pretty tough for me in deciding what to do for the future," Roy stated to open the press conference. "I have decided to return to the University of Washington for my senior season. I am not going to do any camps or enter the draft."
Before deciding to remain at UW, Roy seriously contemplated a second foray into the NBA draft pool. He applied for the 2002 draft during his senior year at Seattle's Garfield High School, but withdrew prior to selection day.
"I am looking forward to this upcoming season and I wish it were October now," Roy remarked. "After next year though, I think the sky will be the limit for me. I didn't want to go into the NBA through the back door. I want to go in through the front door and I think coming back next year is the best way for me to do that."
Roy started the first three outings of the 2004-05 campaign before being sidelined for nine games with an injury. He underwent arthroscopic surgery Nov. 30 to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee. Upon his return, Roy was used primarily in a reserve role the rest of the season, including all three postseason games. He shot 63 percent during the NCAA Tournament and led the Huskies with a 15.3-point scoring average.
"Brandon Roy is a phenomenal basketball player and I think in coming back for his senior year the world will really be able to see what he can do on the basketball court," exclaimed third-year Coach Lorenzo Romar who directed the Huskies to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. "I think he is going to be on a mission and come back and be in the best shape of his life and join arms with the rest of the guys to continue to leave a big imprint on this basketball program."
Roy's announcement comes two weeks after another UW junior guard, Nate Robinson, declared his plans to forgo his final year of eligibility and apply for the NBA draft.
Including Roy, the Huskies return three of their top-five scorers from the 2005 team that had a 29-6 record and advanced to the Sweet 16. Washington tied the 67-year-old school record for wins in a season, won its first Pac-10 Tournament championship and received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever.
Washington's 2005-06 squad will feature a pair of returning starting forwards in Bobby Jones and Mike Jensen. Jones ranked fourth on the 2005 team with 11.2 points per game and Jensen was No. 7 at 6.3. Also returning are forward Jamaal Williams, whose 9.9-point average was fifth-best on the team, and guard Joel Smith who scored at a 4.6-point clip as a freshman.
The lineup will be bolstered by point guard Ryan Appleby, a transfer from Florida who sat out last season as a red-shirt. The former Stanwood (Wash.) High School standout will maintain sophomore eligibility next year.
