Bennie Boatwright, USC's leading scorer, picks school over NBA draft

LOS ANGELES -- Bennie Boatwright has withdrawn his name from the NBA draft and will return to Southern California for his junior year.

He averaged a team-leading 15.1 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Trojans last season despite missing 17 games because of injuries.

Boatwright said Thursday he has decided to return to school "to further my education and work on developing my basketball skills."

His return ensures the core of the team will be back after going 26-10 and appearing in the NCAA tournament. Boatwright averaged 18 points and 5.7 rebounds in the tournament.