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Charles Matthews makes it official, keeping name in NBA Draft

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

While the rules for declaring for the NBA Draft have changed in college basketball over the years, Michigan’s Charles Matthews has made a final decision on his future.

Matthews put together a statement on Wednesday evening, saying he will be leaving the University of Michigan and pursuing a career in the NBA. College basketball players are permitted to enter their name in the draft and hire an agent while keeping the door open for a return to their school. That won’t be the case for Matthews, however.

“:ast week, I spoke about my desire to play professional basketball. Reaching that goal has been a driving force as far back as I can remember. Now is the time to pursue that opportunity. Now is my chance. Now I will mae it official that I will be departing the University of Michigan,” Matthews wrote.

Matthews averaged 12.2 points and five rebounds per game this season while shooting at a 43.1 percent clip. He also averaged 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 34 games.

Matthews missed three games with injury this year, but continued to be productive when he returned to the floor. He helped the Wolverines finish with a 30-7 record and earn a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament.

This past season, Matthews was regarded as one of the top scorers for Michigan.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB