Juzang declares for NBA draft, but isn’t gone yet
Seventeen days after UCLA’s magical run in the NCAA Tournament, one of the players chiefly responsible is capitalizing on it.
Sophomore guard Johnny Juzang announced on social media Tuesday that he was declaring for the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.
The 6-foot-6 Juzang was one of the sparks for the Bruins’ improbable journey to the Final Four, in which they lost to top-ranked Gonzaga 93-90 in overtime.
The former HarvardWestlake High star, who led the Bruins in scoring at 16.0 points a game, averaged 22.8 points in UCLA’s six NCAA Tournament games
“For many years, I’ve dreamt about playing professional basketball. But the journey to get to this point has truly been the beautiful part, crossing paths with such great people: coaches, mentors, and brothers,” Juzang wrote in a statement posted to Twitter and Instagram, indicating he is keeping open the option to stay at UCLA. “I’m proud to announce that I’m declaring for the NBA Draft, while retaining my collegiate eligibility.”
After his junior season at Harvard-Westlake, Juzang reclassified from the 2020 class to the 2019 class and left Southern California to play for John Calipari at Kentucky, only to decide to transfer to Westwood after one season.
His 16.0 points per game for UCLA ranked ninth in the Pac-12. The All-Pac-12 second-teamer also finished the season third in the conference in free-throw shooting at 87.7%.
“I want to thank Coach Cronin and UCLA, the basketball program and the Bruin community, for welcoming me with such open arms. It’s an honor to wear the blue and gold,” Juzang, 20, wrote. “My family and friends, those who have always been in my corner, you mean the world to me. Thank you. I am going continue to work and give the passion I always have and see where it takes me. I’ll then make an informed decision. Blessings!”
Juzang scored 29 points in the Final Four game against the No. 1 Bulldogs.
He scored to tie the game with 3.3 seconds left in overtime, but Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs made a 40-foot buzzer-beater to end the Bruins’ season.
In helping lead the Bruins to their first Final Four since 2008, Juzang scored 137 points in the tournament, second in UCLA history only behind Gail Goodrich’s 140 points in 1965, and was named to the AllTournament team.
“We all support Johnny and, for that matter, all of our players in the future who are making these types of decisions,” UCLA head coach Mick Cronin said in a statement. “I will work closely with Johnny and his family on fact-finding and anything else we can do to support them in this process. I ask our fans to be understanding, as these young men all love UCLA but also deserve the right to explore their professional status. Johnny is a great young man and hopefully we can all stand with him in this process together.”
The NBA draft is July 29. Juzang has until July 19 to decide whether to withdraw from the draft.