MU's DeMarre Carroll pulls out of NBA draft

COLUMBIA — Missouri forward DeMarre Carroll has withdrawn his name from consideration for the 2008 NBA draft and will play another year for the Tigers.

The 6-foot-8, 225-pound junior averaged 13 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last season and was named the Big 12 Conference newcomer of the year. He is the second MU player to pull his name from the draft. Junior forward Leo Lyons withdrew his name May 9.

“The draft process was a beneficial experience for me,” Carroll said in a news release. “I was graduating in May, so the timing really made sense. I was able to put my name out there, get some information from NBA teams and continue preparing for next season at the same time.”

“In visiting with DeMarre, he is looking forward to his senior season,” coach Mike Anderson said in the release. “The rules allow him to get information and feedback from NBA organizations, and now he gets a chance to work on those things. To me, his charge is becoming the best basketball player he can be, and he’ll do that through his off-season workouts and by setting a leadership standard for the number of young players entering our program next season.”