Players To Try Nba

Joe Smith is set to cash in with the NBA.

The All-American center from Maryland will announce at a news conference today that he’s leaving school with two years of eligibility remaining.

The 6-foot-10 sophomore averaged 20.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocked shots while helping Maryland to a 26-8 record. He was the AP player of the year and Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year.

Fulfilling a prediction he made when he came to Ohio University, Gary Trent announced that he would pass up his senior season to make himself available for the NBA draft.

The 6-foot-8 junior from Columbus, Ohio, is a three-time Mid-American Conference player of the year.

Last season, he averaged 22.8 points and 12.9 rebounds to rank 18th in the nation in scoring and third in rebounding.

Trent became the first junior and second player in conference history to score more than 2,000 points and have more than 1,000 rebounds in his career. Ron Harper, now with the Chicago Bulls in his ninth year in the NBA, is the other.