UGA men’s basketball junior Yante Maten has announced his plans to submit his name to the 2017 NBA Draft, but he will not hire an agent.

 
 
Maten, a 6-8, 240-pound, All-SEC forward from Pontiac, Mich., will have until May 24 (10 days after the NBA Draft Combine) to make a final decision whether to remain in the draft or return to Georgia for his senior season.
 
 
“I have always had the dream of playing in the NBA,” Maten said. “This is a chance for me to safely see where they project me.”
 
 
“Like all players, Yante now has the opportunity to get information from the NBA and get an accurate read on their assessment of him at this time,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said. “Once he receives that information, Yante will be able to decide which avenue is in his best interest.”
 
 
Maten averaged 18.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game during the 2016-17 season. He spent much of the season ranked No. 2 in both stats among SEC leaders before a late-season knee sprain caused his averages to slip slightly. Among SEC leaders, Maten still finished fourth in scoring, eighth in rebounding, second in field goal percentage (.519) and ninth in blocked shots (1.5).
 
 
Maten was named first-team All-SEC in balloting of league coaches and second-team All-SEC by the Associated Press. In addition, he was named to the All-District teams of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
 
 
Maten was featured on the preseason watch list for the Karl Malone Award as the nation’s top power forward. He was then included on the 10-player final watch list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award as the top center in the country. Maten was the only player in the nation who moved from one watchlist to another among the national position player of the year awards administered by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.