Letter to the Nova Nation

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Villanova junior guard Jalen Brunson, the consensus National Player of the Year, announced today his intention to enter the 2018 National Basketball Association Draft and bypass his final year of eligibility.

In 2017-18, Brunson joined Paul Arizin as the only Wildcats player to be recognized as the National Player of the Year. The native of Lincolnshire, Ill., who led Villanova to a 36-4 record and the NCAA National Championship, is the John R. Wooden Award winner as well as the recipient of the Associated Press, Naismith, National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), and United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) national player of the year awards.

Brunson, who entered Villanova in 2015-16, is slated to graduate from Villanova later this summer. He was also tabbed a 2017-18 CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-American on the strength of a 3.34 grade point average in Communication.

"Jalen has left an indelible mark on our University and our basketball program," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "He is both the consummate Villanova Basketball player and Villanova student-athlete, a leader on and off the court. We're proud of the man he has become. This is an intelligent decision and I have every confidence in his ability to succeed at the professional level."

Brunson averaged 18.9 points and 4.6 assists per game while starting all 40 games for the Wildcats.

The 2017-18 Villanova Basketball season is presented by KeyBank.