April 27, 2006

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Villanova University sophomore guard Kyle Lowry (Cardinal Dougherty High School/Philadelphia, Pa.) announced today that he will enter his name as a candidate for the 2006 National Basketball Association Draft. Lowry will not hire an agent and retains the option to return to Villanova for his junior season of 2006-07.

Lowry played a key role in Villanova's 28-5 season in 2005-06 as its starting point guard. He averaged 11.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and a team-high 3.7 assists per outing in his sophomore season en route to being named second team All-Big East and first team Philadelphia Big Five. In addition, he led the Big East Conference in steals (2.33 spg) and connected on .786 of his attempts from the free throw line.

"This has been a very difficult process for Kyle and I'm proud of the way he has handled it," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "Kyle is fulfilling all of his academic responsibilities, working hard with the team, and is very cognizant of the NCAA eligibility issues as they pertain to this process.

"I fully support Kyle's decision. He is working hard to prove himself as an NBA player and he also has the option to return for his junior year. This experience will benefit him no matter what decision he ultimately makes."

TRANSACTIONS:
Villanova: Announced sophomore guard Kyle Lowry will make himself available for the NBA Draft.