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Garza returning to Iowa, withdraws from NBA draft

Mitchell Layton / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Warning: Video contains coarse language

Iowa center Luka Garza is withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning for his senior year, he announced Sunday.

The 21-year-old said in April that he'd test the draft waters while maintaining his NCAA eligibility.

The 6-foot-11, 260-pounder won Big Ten Player of the Year honors this past season after averaging 23.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks for the Hawkeyes. He was also a Wooden Award finalist.

The draft stock of traditional big men has plummeted in recent years, and Garza was projected as a second-round pick or undrafted free agent. However, he improved his stretch shooting as a junior, hitting 35.8% of his 3-pointers while averaging 3.5 attempts per game.

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