Vanderbilt junior center Damian Jones entering NBA Draft

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Vanderbilt junior center Damian Jones is bypassing his final year of eligibility to enter the NBA Draft.

School officials announced Jones' decision Thursday.

The 7-foot, 245 pound Jones was All-Southeastern Conference first-team as a sophomore and junior. He ranked 24th all-time scoring 1,313 points and is second in career blocks with 167. He ranked second with 1.69 blocks per game in his career, and Jones was third all-time shooting 56.6 percent for his career.

Jones thanked his teammates and Vanderbilt in a statement. But he says he's looking forward to the chance of playing in the NBA.

He becomes the second Vanderbilt player to forego his eligibility and enter the draft. Guard Wade Baldwin IV announced his decision last week.