Shabazz Muhammad had one of the most controversial starts to his career after dealing with some NCAA trouble on his way to UCLA and now coach Ben Howland has confirmed that it will likely be short-lived, as that his star will likely enter the NBA Draft after the season.
According to ESPNLosAngeles.com, Howland made the statement after UCLA's 74-69 victory against No. 11 Arizona on Saturday night, referencing that it was likely Muhammad's final game at Pauley Pavilion before the team heads to the Pac-12 tournament. Muhammad has been considered a top 10 pick since coming to the Bruins and he has helped the team into first place in the conference.
"That was his last game in Pauley, no doubt about it," Howland said to ESPN.com.
The Bruins have important road games Washington State and Washington left on the schedule, but none at home, making Saturday's contest the last for Muhammad. This season the freshman star has been scoring 18 points and he had that total in the game on Saturday.
"It's still a long season of basketball," Muhammad said. "We don't know yet. I kind of thought about it. I just thought about the big win we're going to have and how important this win was for us against Arizona."
The fans in the crowd were cheering "one more year" after the game, but it is likely their cries will do nothing to stop Muhammad from moving to the next level. Bruins fans have dealt with this a great deal in recent years, as current NBA stars Kevin Love and Jrue Holiday bolted the school after just one year for the big leagues.
"I'm very much a realist now," Howland said. "I knew going into this deal that this was a one-year deal, and it should be. He's a lottery pick. He's a top-five pick. When you have that going for you, it is absolutely the right thing."
Muhammad has been one of the best players for UCLA this season, as the team is 22-7 and ranked number 23 after having a couple tough years. The team is ranked 23rd in points per game and Muhammad has been scoring 18.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in his freshman year.
"The fans here are great," he said. "I've enjoyed myself this whole year. I've been going through a lot this year with injuries and just getting experience at the college level. I'm really happy I came here and represented UCLA because it's a great school and I just gained a lot of experience coming here. It's great."
Muhammad has scored in double digits for 12 straight games and he scored a career-high 27 points in back-to-back games earlier this season. He has been one of the most consistent players for the Bruins over this season and one reason why they are a contender in the Pac-12.
