Washington's Murray, Chriss declare for NBA draft

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington freshmen Marquese Chriss and Dejounte Murray both declared for the NBA draft Wednesday and will hire agents, ending their college careers after one season and issuing a blow to the Huskies hopes of getting back to the NCAA Tournament next year.

The decision by both players was announced by the school and was not a surprise considering both are projected to be first-round picks after up-and-down seasons where each flashed NBA potential.

There were hopes among Washington supporters that one or both would consider returning for their sophomore seasons after the Huskies won 19 games including a number of narrow losses that cost them an NCAA bid, and with highly-touted high school star Markelle Fultz joining the team next season.

[...] the Huskies will be left trying to fill two significant gaps, along with the loss of senior Andrew Andrews, the No. 3 scorer in school history.