June 14, 2006

St. Louis - Saint Louis head men's basketball coach Brad Soderberg today announced that center Ian Vouyoukas (Athens, Greece) has withdrawn from the National Basketball Association June draft. Vouyoukas had originally declared for the draft on April 25 but did not hire an agent to keep open his option of returning for his senior season with the Billikens.

"This was absolutely the best scenario for Ian," Soderberg said. "He now has a feel for what the NBA looks for in a player at his position. He also got to play for a week against the best college players in the country and be seen by scouts and player personnel staff from every NBA team. This will only make his senior season even better as he works toward his ultimate goal of playing professionally."

Vouyoukas participated in an individual workout for the Toronto Raptors in late May and also attended the 2006 NBA Pre-Draft Camp that was held June 6-10 at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.

"I had a positive experience in the workouts and camps in highly competitive situations," Vouyoukas said. "I had a good showing but discovered things that I need to work on. I have a better understanding of what it takes to be successful in the NBA. Now, I'm focusing on returning to the Billikens and competing for an Atlantic 10 Conference championship."

After his breakout junior year, the 6-foot-10, 270-pound Vouyoukas was named the Billikens' Most Valuable Player, selected first-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference and received the A-10's Chris Daniels Most Improved Player award. He ranked 14th in the A-10 in scoring at 13.9 points per game, sixth in rebounding at 7.4 rebounds per game, fourth in blocked shots at 1.9 blocks per game and 13th in free throw percentage at .725.

The Billikens finished 16-13 overall in their inaugural season in the A-10 in 2005-06 and tied for third in the league race with a 10-6 mark.