The statement released by Isaiah Thomas indicating his intent to declare for the 2011 NBA Draft felt like a goodbye, and Thomas confirmed just that in a press conference on Thursday afternoon. Thomas met with the media and said it was goodbye, and he has no intentions of returning to Washington for his senior season, instead choosing to go the way of the NBA no matter what.
Thomas released a statement shortly before the press conference, which began at 1 p.m., to announce his intentions, though he noted he would not hire an agent “at this time.” Thomas said he was “done with his college career” no matter what happens during the draft process, making the Huskies’ NCAA Tournament loss to North Carolina the final time he will have played for Washington.
In a statement to the media at the press conference, Thomas said the decision was the hardest one he’s ever had to make, but had a strong support system, including his family and head coach Lorenzo Romar. From the information he gathered before the decision, Thomas felt he was a mid-first round to early-second round pick, though it’s yet unknown where his draft stock truly lies. He’ll begin to find out more as the draft process progress over the next few months ahead of the 2011 NBA Draft.
We’ll be back with more on Thomas and his decision to leave Washington for the 2011 NBA Draft in this StoryStream. For more on the Huskies, check out SB Nation’s UW Dawg Pound.