WESTWOOD–UCLA freshman point guard Lonzo Ball played his last college game with the Bruins on March 24 against the University of Kentucky.
After Friday’s 86-75 loss to Kentucky during the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16, the athlete confirmed that he is now headed to the NBA Draft. Ball is a contender in one of the top three slots for June’s NBA draft.
“That was my final game for UCLA, and I appreciate all the fans and all the support,” Ball said to the press after the game.
He averaged of 14.6 points and 7.6 assists per game this season, and fulfilled what it took to come-and-go within his first year at UCLA. He finished his college career with 10 points and 8 assists in the loss against the Wildcats.
After the game, UCLA’s head basketball coach, Steve Alford said, “I’ve said it from day one – in my mind, he’s the No. 1 draft pick. The way he can orchestrate a team is just phenomenal, so one night where things didn’t click I don’t think is going to change anything.”
Ball still has a strong relationship with the team. “Started in Australia and at the end of the day this is a family. We’ll be together for life. The relationships I built – you can’t touch that,” said Ball.
