Advertisement
football Edit

Trey Burke officially declares for NBA draft

Michigan basketball will have to move on without Trey Burke. The sophomore point guard announced Sunday he will forgo his final two years of eligibility and submit the necessary paperwork to declare for early entry into the 2013 NBA Draft.
"Looking back, I could not be happier with my decision to return for my sophomore year at the University of Michigan," Burke said. "As a team, we showed what hard work and sticking together can do when faced with any adversity we had this year. We knew this team had the potential to make it the Final Four, and I'm proud of everything we accomplished this year. These guys will always be my brothers, and the memories we've made will stick with me forever.
Advertisement
"After talking it over with my family and coaching staff and weighing all my options, I have decided to enter the NBA Draft. I feel that is the right decision for me and my future. It has been a dream of mine to play in the NBA, and I feel excited and well prepared to take that next step in my career.
"My time at Michigan has helped me grow tremendously as both a basketball player and as a person. I will always be grateful for the opportunity Coach Beilein and his staff gave me to wear the Maize and Blue. I have learned so much from this staff and this university about what is really important if you want to be successful in your future. I love the University of Michigan and the Ann Arbor community, and it will always be a place I call home.
"I'd like to thank my teammates, my coaching staff, my family and the best fans in the world for making my two years at Michigan very special."
Burke said Beilein and the Michigan coaches were completely supportive of his decision.
"Trey's desire to be the best at everything he does has helped Michigan basketball achieve things it hadn't done in 20 years," Beilein said. "I am extremely proud of the young man he's become and believe he is prepared to take the next step in his career.
"His incredible work ethic and effective leadership skills will serve him well in the NBA and during the many opportunities he will have the rest of his life. He is a winner at heart, and I am confident he will continue to have even more success in all of his future endeavors.
"Today is an extraordinary day for Trey, his family and the University of Michigan. On behalf of the entire Michigan basketball family, we wish him the best of luck in his professional career, and we will be rooting for him every step of the way."
Burke, U-M's 11th player with early entry into the NBA Draft, helped Michigan to a 31-8 record in 2012-13, equaling the most wins in U-M history. He also guided the Wolverines to their first Final Four in 20 years, advancing to the national title game, where he scored a game-high 24 points. He became just the second Wolverine to be named the National Player of the Year, honored by the Associated Press, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) with the Oscar Robertson Award, the Los Angeles Athletic Club with the John R. Wooden Award, the Atlanta Tip-Off Club with the Naismith Trophy and by Sports Illustrated. Burke also earned consensus All-America honors as well as the Bob Cousy Award for the Top Collegiate Point Guard.
He finished the 2012-13 season averaging career bests in points (18.6), assists (6.67), field goal percentage (46.3), three-point percentage (38.4), free throw percentage (80.1) and steals (1.59). Scoring in double figures in 37 of 39 games this season, Burke recorded the fifth-highest point total in U-M history with 727 and became just the sixth Wolverine to record 700-plus points in a single season.
Burke was the only Big Ten player to score at least 15 points in every conference game. For his 73-game career, Burke had 67 double-figure scoring games, including 20 contests with 20 or more points.
Burke led the Big Ten with 6.67 assists per game in 2012-13, which was 12th in the nation. He led U-M in assists in all but two games this season and tallied four or more assists in all but three contests.
He closed the season setting the U-M single-season and sophomore class record with 260 total assists. Burke also cracked U-M's all-time top 10 in assists, becoming just the eighth Wolverine to surpass 400 in a career. Overall, he is seventh with 416 assists. Burke posted 46 games with five or more assists, including four games with 10 or more.
The 2013 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 27, 2013, at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. It will air at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Advertisement