Kansas Basketball: Dedric Lawson announces he will forgo senior season

On Monday morning, Kansas junior forward Dedric Lawson announced he would declare for the NBA Draft via Twitter.

According to coach Bill Self in a Kansas Athletics press release, Self saw the announcement coming.

“Dedric informed me shortly after the season of his intentions to declare for the NBA Draft,” Self said. “He had a chance to go home and visit with family about this and we totally support his decision and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”

In his lone season as a Jayhawk, Lawson averaged 19.4 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game, both of which led the Big 12 conference. Lawson had the highest Player Efficiency Rating in the conference and was all-around one of the top players in the country.

He earned third team All-American and first team All-Big 12.

“There are not very many players who have played at Kansas, or players that I have coached, that average 19 points and 10-plus rebounds in a season,” Self said in the press release. “I feel like it is in his best interest to use this year as a springboard into his professional future.”

In his first and only season at Kansas, Lawson led the Jayhawks to a four-seed, carried them to the championship game in the Big 12 tournament and helped Kansas compete in the Big 12 title race.

Without Lawson, the Jayhawks would have been lost and would have never made it to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

The impact Lawson made during his time at Kansas is unquestioned. He took a leadership role, which few thought he would be capable of and continued to keep the Jayhawks competitive.

“He could not have represented our program, the University or his family any better than how he did,” Self said in the press release.

The season may not have ended the way Lawson would have hoped for, but there is no question he made an enormous impact on the team.