Virginia junior guard Justin Anderson announced Monday his decision to forego his final collegiate season and enter the 2015 NBA Draft. Currently projected as a borderline first-round pick, Anderson is coming off his best season in a Virginia uniform.
“I thank Justin for three great years at U.Va.,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “Justin has been an outstanding player, ambassador and role model for our program and we’ll miss him.”
Anderson established career highs in points (12.2), rebounds (4.0) and minutes (27.8) per game while sinking 3-pointers at a career-high 45.2 percent clip in 2014-15. A fractured left pinkie finger and an appendectomy kept the 6-foot-6, 228-pound wing out of Virginia’s last eight regular-season games, but he returned for the postseason and managed 15 points against Belmont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Anderson’s efforts earned him Third-Team All-American honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches. In addition, ACC coaches and media voted the Montross, Virginia native second-team all-conference.
“It’s been a life-long dream of mine to play in the NBA and I’ve had an incredible experience here at U.Va.,” Anderson said. “It’s really difficult to say goodbye, but I feel I’m ready to make the next step in my basketball career at the professional level.”
Anderson helped Virginia to 83 wins, two NCAA Tournament appearances, two ACC regular season titles and the program’s second conference-tournament crown in his three seasons as a Cavalier. The 2013-14 ACC Sixth Man of the Year departs Charlottesville with career averages of 8.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
“As a kid growing up in Virginia, it was important to me to play collegiately in my home state and make U.Va. one of the premier programs in the ACC and in all of college basketball,” Anderson said. “I want to thank coach Bennett and his staff for giving me the opportunity to play here. I also want thank my teammates, University administration and my professors for three amazing years.”
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