Memphis basketball star David Jones has declared for the NBA Draft but will maintain his collegiate eligibility, he announced Saturday.

The explosive 6-foot-6 guard − who led the Tigers in 2023-24 in scoring (21.8 points per game) and rebounding (7.6 per game) − has one season of collegiate eligibility remaining. A native of the Dominican Republic, he began his career at DePaul, then transferred to St. John's before joining the Tigers and coach Penny Hardaway.

Jones will not sign with an agent in order to maintain his eligibility in case he decides to spend one more season at Memphis. The deadline to withdraw from the draft – and maintain their collegiate eligibility – is May 29.

"Before every game, my father used to tell me, 'juega tu juego, y sin miedo.' Play your game without fear," Jones posted on Instagram. "His words have carried my journey in basketball from representing the Dominican Republic on a global stage to my collegiate career at DePaul, St. John's and Memphis University.

"My father introduced me to the beautiful game of basketball and in this next stage, I hope to make him proud as I pursue my dreams."

Testing the NBA draft waters is common practice for college players who are interested in weighing all of their options and/or receiving feedback from NBA personnel. Two offseasons ago, former Tigers DeAndre Williams and Kendric Davis both went through the process before ultimately opting to stay in school. Last offseason, Jahvon Quinerly and Nae'Qwan Tomlin did the same thing before transferring to Memphis.

Jones made a big splash with the Tigers, racking up 698 points (the seventh-most in Memphis history). His 79 made 3-pointers are tied (with Tyler Harris) for fifth-most in single-season program history.

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Hardaway is tasked with rebuilding the bulk of his roster this offseason. All but one scholarship player from the 2023-24 roster (forward Nicholas Jourdain) has either declared for the draft, entered the transfer portal or exhausted their collegiate eligibility. The Tigers have secured verbal commitments from transfers guard PJ Haggerty, big man Dain Dainja and guard Colby Rogers.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball star David Jones declares for NBA Draft