National Basketball Association

Syracuse guard Tyus Battle withdraws name from NBA draft

Published May. 31, 2018 12:30 a.m. ET

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) Syracuse guard Tyus Battle has decided to withdraw from the NBA draft and return to school for his junior year.

Battle says in a statement on the university website that he feels it's in his best interest ''to focus on improving some fine points'' in his game and work toward his degree.

Battle says he plans to re-enter the draft next year and calls his decision to return an easy one.

Battle had a standout sophomore season, leading Division I in average minutes played and the Orange in scoring at 19.2 points per game. That earned him a second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, and his 712 points were the most for a sophomore in school history.