BATON ROUGE – Ben Simmons, the national freshman of the year by several organizations, has opted to forgo his remaining college eligibility and will enter the 2016 NBA Draft, LSU head coach Johnny Jones confirmed on Monday.

In his one season with the Tigers, Simmons averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists, which ranked him among the top five in the Southeastern Conference in each of those categories. Simmons is the first player in SEC history to rank in the top 5 in points, rebounds and assists since assists were first started being kept as an official stat in 1969.

“We are excited about this opportunity for Ben and his family,” Jones said. “We certainly have enjoyed the time that we were able to spend with him here at LSU. He was a joy to coach and to be around on and off the floor.

“Ben was a tremendous teammate and a great competitor. He brought a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm to our team and did an outstanding job of making those around him better. That’s something that this team will benefit from as we go forward.”

Despite playing without two everyday starters in senior Keith Hornsby and sophomore Craig Victor for a combined 21 games this year, Simmons helped LSU to a 19-14 overall mark as the Tigers finished third in the SEC during the regular season and reached the semifinals of the conference tournament.

Simmons’ impact on the program could also be seen in the stands as LSU averaged 11,400 fans a game at the Maravich Center, and on the road, the Tigers played before an average of nearly 13,700 fans a contest.

Simmons led all freshmen nationally with 23 double-double games and capped his rookie season with the Tigers by scoring in double-figures for 26 straight contests. He also put up numbers that rank him in the top 10 in LSU single-season history for rebounds (No. 5 with 388), assists (No. 8 with 158) and free throws made (No. 5 with 199). His 632 points stand just outside of the LSU top 10.

“We knew that there was a great possibility that Ben would only be at LSU for one season,” Jones said. “And if you are going to have a guy to do that, Ben was the perfect one because of how much of a team player he is. We are happy about the development that transpired during his time here and think he will continue to make great strides as he transitions into the NBA.

“We certainly feel as if he’s going to have a bright future as he continues to work hard to achieve his goal of playing at the highest level in the NBA. He impacted our team and our program during the year that he spent here. We wish him all the best.”