Sanford To Stay At UW

University of Washington sophomore Mark Sanford announced he has withdrawn his name from the NBA draft and will return to school for his junior season.

The 6-foot-8 forward had sent a letter to NBA commissioner David Stern on April 29, declaring himself eligible for the June 26 draft.

But Sanford had a change of heart after participating in the NBA’s predraft camp in Chicago two weeks ago and meeting with Washington coach Bob Bender last week.

“There are still some things in college that I want to do,” he said. “I want to win a Pac-10 championship and play in the NCAA tournament.”

NBA scouts were impressed by Sanford’s athletic ability, but many felt he wasn’t ready for the pros. Scouts were concerned about his ball-handling and lack of range on his jump shot.

Sanford was a first-team Pacific-10 Conference selection last season. He averaged a team-high 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Sanford is the second player to withdraw from the draft this year. California freshman forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim pulled his name from the draft last month.

Underclassmen have until 48 hours before the draft to remove their names from consideration.