Justin Patton To Declare For NBA Draft, Sign With Agent

Creighton University's Justin Patton, the 2017 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, will apply for the NBA Draft and intends to sign with an agent. In doing so, Patton will give up his final three seasons of eligibility with the Bluejays.

"After much deliberation with my family and the Creighton coaching staff, I have decided the time is right to pursue my dream of playing professional basketball," said Patton. "I have loved every bit of my two years at Creighton. My teammates were unbelievable, the coaching staff helped me develop, and the fans have been so supportive of our program. Thank you to everyone…I will forever be a Bluejay!"

An Omaha native, Patton led Creighton with 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per game, and was second on the club with 12.9 points per game. He owned 72 dunks during his redshirt freshman season and owned 28 games of 10 or more points, including four games of 20 points or more. The 7-footer's field goal percentage (67.6 percent) led the BIG EAST, ranked second nationally in 2016-17, and is the best mark in NCAA history by a freshman in a major conference.