BYU basketball: Tavernari to return for senior year

Jonathan Tavernari is returning for his senior season at BYU after all.

The senior-to-be announced Wednesday that he has withdrawn his name from the 2009 National Basketball Association draft after declaring for the draft on April 22.

Tavernari, who averaged 15.7 points last season for the Cougars, did not hire an agent in order to preserve his eligibility for his final collegiate campaign.

"After consulting with my family and coaches, I have decided that the best thing for me is to return to school to complete my education and play my senior season," Tavernari said in a statement.

"Next year's team has a chance to be special. I have great teammates and great coaches, and I look forward to being part of the program and competing for a fourth consecutive conference title."

When he declared for the draft last month, Tavernari said he wanted to test the NBA waters and focus on improving his game.

"Pretty much every part of my game I can get better," he said. "Everybody knows I can shoot. The consistency which I shoot is an issue that everybody has talked about. I think I've proven myself defensively. I can guard anybody.

"I'm excited to prove to everybody what I can do," Tavernari said.A year ago, Tavernari was the only non-professional to play for the Brazilian Senior National Team that participated in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Athens. This summer, Tavernari is expected to rejoin the Brazilian National Team for the FIBA Americas Championship and a shot to qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

In his first three years in Provo, Tavernari has become one of BYU's all-time leaders in a number of statistical categories. He holds the top records for most 3-pointers in a single season — 88 in 2007-08 and 85 in 2008-09. Tavernari also owns the single-season record for consecutive games with a 3-pointer — 22 — set last year. The forward from Sao Bernardo, Brazil, is No. 2 in career 3-pointers (202) and career 3-point attempts (535). He is No. 25 all-time at BYU in scoring (1,157 points) and No. 10 in steals (115).

E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com