Texas A&M's Wright declares for draft

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) Swingman Antoine Wright plans to forgo his senior year at Texas A&M, and declared Tuesday for the NBA draft.

Wright earned All-Big 12 honors after averaging 17.8 points and six rebounds this season. He helped Texas A&M to the biggest turnaround in the nation - going from 7-21 to 21-10 in 2004-05.

He also led the Aggies to their first postseason berth in more than a decade and two wins in the NIT.

Wright has not hired an agent, which leaves open the possibility he could withdraw from the draft and return to Texas A&M. He has until June 21 to withdraw. The draft is June 28.

"If I can't be a high pick, I'll be back next year," he said in a statement. "If I am a high pick, I'll be living a lifelong dream."

He said a goal has been to earn his degree, and he still plans to do that.

"I have grown to love this university and what it has done to help me grow as a basketball player and more importantly as a person," he said. "That made my decision extremely hard."

First-year coach Billy Gillispie doesn't want to see Wright go, but supports his decision.

"He's really grown in every aspect in the last year, on and off the court," Gillispie said in a statement. "He's a special one, and we'll miss him as a person as much as a player."