KU's McLemore declares for NBA Draft

Apr 9, 2013 - 9:06 PM Lawrence, KS (Sports Network) - Ben McLemore's career at Kansas will last only one season, as the star guard officially announced his intention to enter the 2013 NBA Draft during a Tuesday press conference.

The move isn't unexpected, as McLemore is considered to be a potential top- five overall selection by the majority of scouting services and may in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick.

"I want to thank my teammates a lot for supporting me and always pushing me each and every day at practice," McLemore said. "I love those guys. It was great playing with those guys. I want to thank my family and the coaching staff, too, but most of all I want to thank the KU fans. Without the KU fans, Kansas wouldn't be like this. The KU fans are great and I'd like to thank them a lot for cheering me on and cheering this whole program on."

After redshirting the 2011-12 campaign, McLemore led the Big 12 champion Jayhawks in scoring (15.9 ppg) and shot 42 percent (73-of-174) from 3-point range. The 6-foot-5 standout also topped the conference in free throw percentage (87.0) while shattering KU legend Danny Manning's school scoring record for a freshman.

For his efforts, McLemore was a consensus second team All-America honoree and was named to the Big 12 first team.