Morris Declares for NBA Draft w/o Agent

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan sophomore guard Darius Morris (Los Angeles, Calif./Windward HS) has submitted the necessary paperwork to declare for the 2011 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft, but has opted not to hire an agent at this time.br>
Morris is eligible to return to Michigan for his junior season if he withdraws his name from draft consideration before the May 8 deadline.

"All my life it has been a goal of mine to play in the NBA and I am blessed to have the opportunity to take this step towards that dream," said Morris. "I look forward to going through this process with the potential of playing at the next level."

"This is the next step in gathering as much information as possible to assist Darius in making an educated decision," said U-M head coach John Beilein. "As Darius considers his options we will continue to support him in every way we can throughout the process."

Morris, who was an All-Big Ten third team selection by both the coaches and media, helped the Wolverines to a 21-14 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament third round. He recorded the largest margin of improvement in scoring in the Big Ten, jumping from 4.4 points per game as a freshman to a team-best 15.0 per game this past season.

Morris broke the U-M season record for assists with 235, becoming just the third Wolverine to record 200-plus assists in a year. He recorded just the third triple-double in U-M history with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists against Iowa (Jan. 30) and tallied seven double-digit assist games, including a career-best 12 helpers against Concordia (Dec. 6) and Bryant (Dec. 20). Overall, Morris led the Big Ten with 6.71 assists per game, putting him fifth in the nation.

In two seasons in Ann Arbor, Morris has started 53 of 67 career games, compiling 666 career points (9.9 ppg), 197 rebounds (2.9 rpg) and 319 assists (4.76 apg).