UCLA's Welsh, Holiday withdraw names from NBA draft

LOS ANGELES (AP) Center Thomas Welsh and reserve guard Aaron Holiday will return to UCLA after taking their names out of consideration for the NBA draft.

Neither hired an agent while exploring their draft stock. They announced their decisions on Tuesday, a day before the deadline for withdrawing from the draft.

Welsh averaged 10.8 points and a team-leading 8.7 rebounds as a junior last season. He also led the Bruins in blocked shots (43) for the third straight year, and he shot a team-high 87 percent from the free throw line.

Holiday averaged 12.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists as a sophomore.

The Bruins lost freshmen Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf and Ike Anigbogu, who all hired agents, to the draft. Ball and Leaf are expected to be first-round picks in the next month's draft.