By AJ Cadman and Moin
Salahuddin
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
A year after former Bruin point guard Baron Davis left school to
become the third pick in the NBA draft, the UCLA athletic
department announced Monday that sophomore forwards Jerome Moiso
and JaRon Rush have decided to forego their final two seasons of
eligibility and enter the 2000 draft.
A press conference will be held at noon today in Pauley Pavilion
to formally announce the players’ decisions.
“This was a difficult decision for me,” Moiso said
in a statement. “Playing in the NBA has been a goal of mine
and I feel this is the time for me to take the next
step.”
“I am going to miss my teammates and my coaches,”
Rush said in a statement. “This has been a tough decision for
me to make, because I have enjoyed my two years at UCLA.”
The 6-foot-10 Moiso started 30 of 33 games last season,
averaging 13 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest. As the
second-leading scorer on the team, he recorded 10 double-doubles en
route to earning honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors.
Moiso may be long remembered for the shot he hit against
top-ranked Stanford in March of this year. His buzzer-beating
turnaround jumper at the end of regulation sent the game into
overtime, where the Bruins would win, 94-93. The win propelled the
struggling Bruins into the NCAA Tournament.
Rush won that game for the Bruins when he hit a 10-footer on the
baseline with two seconds remaining in overtime. It was his first
game back after a 24-game suspension he served for accepting money
from a sports agent and his former youth basketball coach. Rush
played in nine games during the season, averaging 12.1 points and
5.7 rebounds per contest and shooting a sizzling 56 percent from
the field.
Both Rush and Moiso were instrumental in the Bruins’ run
to the Sweet 16 in this year’s NCAA Tournament, which
included an 105-70 upset of Maryland in the second round. Each
scored 14 points and Moiso had nine rebounds while Rush pulled down
six in the win over the third-seeded Terrapins. Moiso also scored
15 points and had 10 rebounds in the Bruins’ loss to Iowa
State.
“We certainly wish Jerome and JaRon good luck as they
pursue their dream,” UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said in a
statement. Lavin is currently attending the Pac-10 Men’s
Basketball Coaches Meeting in Arizona. “While we would love
for them to stay and play for our team next season, these two young
men have evaluated their individual situations and have made the
decisions they feel are best for them,” he added.
As members of UCLA’s 1998 recruiting class, considered by
some to be the best in the nation, Moiso and Rush delayed their
decisions on the draft while gathering information to determine
their future draft status. According to ESPN’s Andy Katz of
and other draft experts, Moiso and Rush are expected to be
first-round selections. If so, it could be the first time since
1995 ““ when Ed O’Bannon and George Zidek were selected
““ that two UCLA players were drafted in the first round.
Davis was selected with the third pick overall last year by the
Charlotte Hornets. He was the 26th Bruin to be taken in the first
round and the second player to leave school early in as many years,
following the departure of center Jelani McCoy in 1998.
This year’s draft will be held June 28 in Minneapolis.