Rebels’ Blankson pulls out of NBA draft

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, June 1, 2004 | 10:40 a.m.

Lon Kruger doesn't coach his first official game as UNLV's new men's basketball coach until late November.

But you could say Kruger already scored one of his biggest victories of the 2004-05 season over Memorial Day weekend.

That's because star forward Odartey Blankson, a Mountain West Conference Player of the Year candidate, has decided to pull his name out of the NBA draft and return to play his senior season.

"I've been talking to (Kruger)," Blankson said Monday. "And I'm going to pull out."

Saying that he wanted to "test the waters," Blankson, who led the Mountain West Conference in rebounding with a 10.2 average and led the Rebels in scoring with a 17.6 average, submitted his name for the NBA draft on May 3 but did not hire an agent. He has until June 17 to withdraw his name without losing his college eligibility. The draft is set for June 24 in New York City.

Blankson had hoped to receive an invitation to the NBA Pre-Draft Camp that is held June 8-12 at Moody Bible College in Chicago. The NBA sent him a letter classifying him as an alternate and to "be alert" for a possible invite.

"They sent that letter to a lot of guys though," Blankson said. "Some people think that I'd get in for sure. Other people I talked to didn't know."

But Blankson said he he plans to return to UNLV now even if he were to get that inivitation.

"I'm staying," he said. "I'm sending in a letter to take my name out of the draft.

"With all the international and high school players that submitted their names for the draft there aren't very many sports available for a player to be picked in the first round.

"From what I'm hearing you could possibly even be the MVP of the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp and still not go in the first round. So that's a big reason for pulling out."

Blankson is expected to battle Utah's Andrew Bogut, New Mexico's Danny Granger, Colorado State's Matt Nelson and the Air Force Academy's Nick Welch for MWC Player of the Year honors next winter.

His return, along with the talented senior backcourt of Jerel Blassingame and Romel Beck, gives Kruger three all-conference-caliber players to build around next season.