April 11, 2018
AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn junior guard Bryce Brown has decided to go through the NBA Draft process, but does not intend to hire an agent in order to have the option of returning for his senior season.
"I want to thank God for everything he has done for me and the way he has led me," Brown said. "I had a dream to play in the NBA one day and I want to pursue that dream. Testing the waters will be a great opportunity for me and my family to see where I'm at in the process.
"I want to thank my teammates and my coaches for putting me in great situations to succeed and show what I can do on the court. I want to thank the fans and the Auburn family as well. Together, we created something special this past season with the best home-court advantage in the country."
"I'm not sure there is a player in college basketball who has improved more over the last three years than Bryce Brown," head coach Bruce Pearl said. "He is an elite shooter, an improved playmaker and a great defender. We're really excited for this opportunity for Bryce."
In his third season, Brown more than doubled his scoring average to 15.9 points per game and became the 36th player in program history to tally 1,000 career points. The Stone Mountain, Ga. native is just the 18th player in the Auburn record books to reach 1,000 points by the conclusion of their junior season.
A Naismith Trophy Top 30 honoree, Brown paced the Tigers to a program record 324 makes from downtown, smashing the previous mark of 289 last season. Brown buried 107 3s - the second-most in single-season history - and moved into second on the career 3-pointers list with 241 buckets from behind the arc.
He also held his defensive assignment to shoot just 37 percent from the floor and induced 100 turnovers during the 2017-18 campaign.
For his efforts, Brown was named First Team All-SEC by the Associated Press and Second Team All-SEC by the league's coaches.
Brown and Auburn capped a historic season with a conference title at 26-8 overall and 13-5 in league play and received a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003.