Georgia Tech G Crittenton enters NBA draft

Apr 26, 2007 - 1:43 AM ATLANTA (Ticker) -- It did not take Javaris Crittenton long to follow the footsteps of his freshman teammate.

A guard from Georgia Tech, Crittenton declared himself eligible for the NBA draft on Wednesday, a day after classmate Thaddeus Young entered his name.

Crittenton, 20, will not hire an agent according to Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt, allowing the freshman to return to school if he withdraws from the NBA draft process by June 18.

"Javaris wants to keep his eligibility intact by not having an agent, but he wants to further explore his status in the upcoming draft by being able to speak directly with NBA personnel," Hewitt said. "Javaris wants to focus on finishing out the spring semester and final exams next week, then concentrate on gathering information from NBA teams."

"I enjoy Georgia Tech, the environment here and all the fans, and I appreciate all the support I've gotten though high school and my freshman year, both from the Tech community and the people in Atlanta," Crittenton said. "But I feel I need to enter my name right now in order to get the best possible information from people in the NBA."

Serving as the starting point guard for Georgia Tech (20-12), Crittenton tied for the team lead in scoring with 14.4 points per game and ranked second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 5.7 assists in 32 games in helping the team reach the NCAA Tournament.

Due to his efforts, Crittenton was named to the ACC's third team and the league's All-Freshman squad.