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NBA: US college stars Parker, Young declare for draft

US college freshman stars Jabari Parker and James Young said Thursday they will skip their final three seasons of collegiate play and declared themselves eligible for June's NBA Draft. Parker, a forward, led Duke University to a 26-9 season, averaging 19.1 points, 8.7 rebounds 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocked shots a game. He became the first freshman to lead the Blue Devils in scoring and rebounds for a season. "Jabari could not have been better. He is the epitome of what you would want a basketball player to be," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "He had a fantastic freshman year and is so deserving of the opportunity to play in the NBA and follow his dream. It was an honor for us to have him in our program." Parker becomes only the fourth Duke player to go to the NBA Draft after one season, a list that includes NBA stars Luol Deng of Britain and Kyrie Irving. "Coming out of high school, I knew that Duke was going to be a great fit for me and it ended up being one of the best experiences of my life," Parker said. Young, a swingman, helped Kentucky reach the national tournament final, where the Wildcats lost to Connecticut. He averaged 18.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in Final Four contests and 14.3 points and 4.3 rebounds a game during the season. "My time at Kentucky has been special to me, something I'll always treasure, but I feel that I'm ready to take the next step to the NBA," Young said. "I can't say enough about my teammates. The journey helped us build a bond that we will always share for the rest of our lives."