Erazem Lorbek To Enter NBA Draft
5/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 9, 2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State freshman forward Erazem Lorbek (Ljubljana, Slovenia) has signed a contract with an agent and will forego his remaining eligibility with the Michigan State men's basketball program to enter the NBA Draft.
"When I got home after the season, my dad and I talked about this decision," said Lorbek. "Playing at Michigan State really helped me a lot. I knew we were going to have a great team this year, and I love my teammates and the coaches have been great, but I decided to do what was best for me. I feel comfortable with my decision."
The 6-foot-10, 240-pounder averaged 12 points, 5.5 rebounds and shot 52.8 percent (19-of-36) from the field in the NCAA Tournament, including 50 percent (5-of-10) from the three-point line during MSU's run to the Elite Eight. He was selected to the NCAA All-South Region team.
For the season, Lorbek averaged 6.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in 35 games. He ranked second on the team in field goal percentage (.534, 87-of-136) and tied for the team lead in blocks (20). He registered a career-best 19 points, all in the second half, at Wisconsin (Feb. 11) and finished the season with seven games in double-figure scoring.
"I enjoyed having Erazem around for a year," said MSU head coach Tom Izzo. "I'm happy for him that he'll have a chance to fulfill his dream and I'll be very supportive and do whatever I can to help those dreams become a reality. He has a chance to be a very good player, I just wish he would have stuck around another season for his own development. But in the end, I think the opportunity to play in the NBA or make a lot of money in Europe was a major factor. Losing four players early over a three year span can be tough on the program, but we are still going to have a very good team next season."
