Pac-10 basketball: Washington star guard Isaiah Thomas declares for NBA draft

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Washington star junior guard Isaiah Thomas will declare for the NBA draft but will not hire an agent, the school announced Thursday.

Still, from Thomas’ comments, it seems as though the two-time All-Pac-10 First Team honoree will not be returning to the Huskies.

‘Although it was a tough decision, I have decided to forgo my senior season and enter my name into this year’s NBA draft,’ Thomas said in the statement released by the school. ‘At this time I will not hire an agent. Over the past three years I’ve enjoyed every single minute of my Washington Husky career. I am very thankful to have played for a great coach like Coach [Loroenzo] Romar and our entire coaching staff. I have just over two quarters left to earn my degree, and I fully plan on finishing school.’

Thomas, who averaged 16.8 points and 6.1 assists this season while leading Washington to a 24-11 record and its second consecutive Pac-10 tournament title, becomes the latest prominent Pacific 10 Conference player to enter the draft.

UCLA guards Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee each declared this week, though only Honeycutt hired an agent. USC junior forward Nikola Vucevic announced he would hire an agent and declare for the draft last week.

The main Pac-10 players left to decide are Washington State junior guard Klay Thompson and Arizona sophomore forward Derrick Williams. It’s expected that Thompson and perhaps also Washington State junior forward DeAngelo Casto will announce their decisions soon.

Williams, the Pac-10 player of the year and former La Mirada High standout, is projected by many to be a lottery pick in the upcoming draft. He declined to comment on those issues recently.

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-- Baxter Holmes