April 25, 2007

LOS ANGELES - A pair of sophomores, Darren Collison and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, announced today that they will return to UCLA and not put their names in for the 2007 NBA Draft.

Collison, a 2007 All-Pac-10 selection, finished 19th in the league (third on the team) in scoring at 12.7 points per game and led the Pac-10 in steals (2.23 spg, 78 steals) and in three-point field goal percentage (.447, 51-for-114). Additionally, he was second in assists (5.7 apg, 199 assists), second in assist/turnover ratio (1.95) and sixth in free throw percentage (.810, 94-for-116).

He scored a career-high 20 points in the overtime loss to California in the Pac-10 Tournament and dished out a career-best 15 assists, which tied for the second-most in UCLA history (Darrick Martin had 15 vs. Pittsburgh on Feb. 2, 1991) in a win at 19th-ranked Arizona.

Mbah a Moute, a 2007 honorable mention All-Pac-10 performer, averaged 8.2 points per game (fourth on the squad) and led the Bruins in rebounding at 7.4 rebounds per game (seventh in the Pac-10). He also finished third in the Pac-10 in steals (1.69 spg, 59 steals), sixth in defensive rebounds (4.9 per game) and eighth in offensive rebounds (2.5 per game).

He scored a career-high 24 points in the season-opening win over BYU and hauled in a career-best 14 rebounds in a home win over Arizona State.