LSU guard Tremont Waters says he'll enter NBA Draft for 2nd straight year
Despite the fact LSU All-SEC first team point guard Tremont Waters’ hasn’t been projected to be chosen in the two-round 2019 NBA Draft, the sophomore entered it anyway Thursday night.
It’s the second straight year the 5-11 Waters has placed his name in the draft. But judging from his lengthy announcement on his Instagram account, it appears this time he’s not coming back to the Tigers.
His statement:
"First and foremost, I would like to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to wake up everyday and play the game that I cherish! I would also like to take the time to thank the people who've helped me throughout my journey at LSU," Waters said in the post. "Through all of the madness and rigorous times that took part during my time at LSU, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish my many achievements without the help of my parents, teammates and coaching staff.
"I've had the chance to blossom into the young man and basketball player that I am today. This experience has helped me create bonds and friends that I will not forget. Going to war with my brothers everyday has shown me what true competitive greatness is. Lastly, I would like to give a special thanks to the LSU community and fans that showed great support over the past two years. The past two years have been nothing but inspiring and life changing.
"Taking this into account, I believe that it is only right to announce that I will be saying my farewells to LSU to pursue my lifelong dreams of playing and succeeding in the NBA. I will be entering the 2019 NBA Draft with an agent. I've dreamt of this day and will continue to work endlessly to turn it into reality. Again, I would like to thank God and everyone who has supported me through and through! I will forever be a Tiger! #GeauxTigers. Yours truly, Tremont Waters."
As the SEC co-defensive player of the year, Waters led the Tigers to the SEC regular season championship and to the Sweet 16 by averaging averaged 15.3 points, 5.8 assists and 2.8 steals. He also broke the school record for most steals in a season.
After last season, then-freshman Waters declared for the draft but withdrew 24 hours before the final deadline. He was allowed to return to LSU because he didn’t hire an agent. Going through the draft process then was more of a fact-finding mission for Waters as he had sit-down interviews with NBA coaches, scouts and NBA executives in Atlanta, Boston, Brooklyn, Oklahoma City and Houston.
Waters had a tremendous year. His last-second game-winning layup to help the Tigers past Maryland in an NCAA East Region second-round game will be forever remembered in LSU basketball lore.
In his final college game in the Tigers’ Sweet 16 semifinal loss to Michigan State, Waters scored a team-high 23 points.
Waters is the second LSU player to declare for this year’s NBA Draft that will be held June 20 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Freshman forward Naz Reid, a projected first-round draft choice, declared on Wednesday.