Young is leaving for NBA
freshman guard Trae Young is leaving for the NBA after leading the nation in scoring and assists.
Young, who averaged 27.4 points and 8.7 assists, announced the decision Tuesday on Twitter.
He scored 43 points against Oregon on Nov. 26 and less than a month later tied the NCAA record with 22 assists against Northwestern State. He later scored at least 40 points three times in a six-game span.
“We’re very excited for him going forward and the next chapter in his basketball career,” coach Lon Kruger said. “We expect it to all work out for him in a fantastic way.”
Bamba going pro
Freshman forward Mo Bamba said he is leaving Texas for the NBA, calling his one season with the Longhorns “incredibly rewarding.”
Bamba, who is 6 feet 11 with a 7-9 wing span, averaged 12.9 points and 10.5 rebounds. He set a school record for blocks in a season with 111 in 30 games.
Cleared to return
Auburn forward Danjel Purifoy will be eligible to play most of next season.
The university said the NCAA ruled that Purifoy must sit out the first 30% of the season before returning. Purifoy and center Austin Wiley sat out all of the Tigers’ run to a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season title and the NCAA tournament.
Former Auburn assistant Chuck Person has been charged with accepting bribes to steer players to a financial advisor once they turned pro and funneling some of that money to the families of Wiley and Purifoy. Wiley has been cleared to play next season.
Purifoy averaged 11.5 points and 4.7 rebounds as a redshirt freshman.
Boyle retires
Virginia women’s basketball coach Joanne Boyle said she is retiring because of an unspecified family matter.
Boyle’s retirement comes only days after the Cavaliers were knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the second round. It was the program’s first NCAA apOklahoma pearance in nine seasons.
The 54-year-old Boyle had a 129-98 record in seven seasons at Virginia.
Rising attendance
Attendance for the first two rounds of the women’s NCAA tournament is the highest in a decade, with an average of 5,067 spectators taking in the first 48 games.
Defending champion South Carolina led the way with 11,085 spectators in its opening-round victory. Fellow Southeastern Conference member Mississippi State followed with 10,211 in the opener on its home court.
Last season’s regionals were at a 20-year low for attendance.
Cal Baptist loses
Jordan Heading scored 21 points, Ty Rowell had 20 and Kalidou Diouf had 19, but Cal Baptist fell 100-94 to Queens University of Charlotte (32-3) in the NCAA Division II men’s quarterfinals at Sioux Falls, S.D.
It was the first Elite Eight appearance for the Lancers (28-6), who trailed 94-92 with 58 seconds to play.
Westmont falls
Four players scored in double figures for Westmont but the Lions lost 76-64 against Freed-Hardeman in the NAIA Division I women’s final at Billings, Mont.