Baylor Forward, Ekpe Udoh, Declares For NBA Draft

WACO--Big 12 players and coaches can finally sleep comfortably.

Baylor forward Ekpe Udoh, nicknamed "The Nightmare", chose to strike the iron while it was hot on Tuesday afternoon.

The 6'10'' 240 pound junior declared for the June 24th NBA draft just weeks after helping lead Baylor to the Elite 8 and the school's most successful season in over half of a century.

Before transfering to Baylor after his sophomore year, Udoh donned the Maize and Blue of the University of Michigan for two seasons--earning Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors during the 2007-2008 season.

After sitting out the 2008-2009 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Udoh's true talent was revealed as he broke both Baylor and Big 12 single-season block records with 133, in addition to averaging nearly a double-double--13.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.7 blocks and 2.7 assists over the course of 36 games.

In his first and only season with the Baylor Bears, Udoh's defensive prowess was accompanied by a new found offensive ability, raising his offensive stats across almost all categories including field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and more than doubling his season average for offensive rebounds.

The elevated success of the likely late round lottery pick at Baylor can be traced back to comments Udoh made after the season refering to his coaches and teammates in which he told reporters, "mentally they pushed me every day and told me I was going to be a big part of the team." Udoh looks to become only the third ever Baylor player drafted in the first round in the school's history, and the first in the last 12 years.

Side Note: As a Baylor fan I was in attendence for the Bear's Sweet 16 game at Reliant Stadium in Houston and I was more than impressed by Udoh's game on both ends of the court. He provided some of the most dominant and authoritative blocks and defensive performances in the Big 12 and the NCAA as a whole this season.

Udoh will be dearly missed by Baylor students and fans. We wish him the best of luck as he begins his career in the NBA!