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Robert Dozier announced Monday that he is returning to school for his final year as a Tiger in 2008-09.
June 16, 2008
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of Memphis junior Robert Dozier announced Monday that he withdrew his name from the 2008 NBA Draft and is returning to school for his final season of eligibility in 2008-09. The 6-foot-9 forward had officially entered his name in the NBA Draft in late April.
"I appreciate the opportunity to go through the process," said Dozier. "I loved the workouts, and I truly appreciate the honesty of all parties involved, especially the NBA personnel.
"I'm coming back with the mind-set that next year's team can be even better than what we were a year ago, knowing a lot of that will fall on my shoulders."
In returning for his final season in the Blue and Gray, Dozier has the opportunity to be a part of the winningest four-year class in NCAA Division I history, along with fellow rising seniors Antonio Anderson and Chance McGrady. The NCAA Division I record for most wins in a four-year span is 133 by Duke from 1998-2001. Dozier's class enters the 2008-09 campaign with 104 victories, which is the most wins in a three-year period in NCAA Division I history. Former Tiger teammate Joey Dorsey finished his career with 126 wins, the 10th-most for a four-year class in NCAA Division I history.
"I want Robert to come back with two things in mind - to help the team win a national championship and become the player of the year in college basketball," said Memphis head coach John Calipari.
The Lithonia, Ga., native enters his final year with 903 career points, needing only 97 to become the 44th player in Tiger basketball history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. Dozier also has 167 blocked shots (No. 7 on Memphis career list) and 684 rebounds (No. 11 on career list). On his pace of 56 blocks and 228 boards per year, he could climb as high as the No. 6 spot on both blocked shots and rebounding charts.
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This past season, Dozier was the team's third-leading scorer at 9.2 ppg. He was the squad's second-leading rebounder (6.8 rpg) and second-leading shot blocker (68 swats). Dozier finished the season shooting 44 percent from the field and 67.5 percent from the free throw line. He also had 41 steals last year.
Memphis finished the 2007-08 campaign with an NCAA record 38 wins (38-2 record) and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament championship game. The Tigers, ranked No. 1 in both national polls for a school-record five-straight weeks during the season, swept the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles for a third-straight year.
