Junior Loren Woods:
"I want to thank you all for coming. I want to thank my mom, my brother, my
whole family for their help through the process. I want to thank all my
friends since I've been acting kind of funny since I've been thinking about
this decision. I want to thank all the coaches for letting me come to the
program. I want to thank my teammates for helping me to be myself. A lot of
people have been telling me to stay. To me, it isn't about money or a
championship. I never play for money. I play to prove that I can play with
the best players. A lot of people tell me to follow what I feel in my
heart. But my heart is torn. Last night, I was watching the McDonald's
All-American game and I thought about all the players I played against. I
put in the tape of my McDonald's game. I thought, man, I was skinny.' I've
gained so much weight and confidence. I thought, how much could another
year help?' I thought skipping my senior year will be a big transition.
Whether it's next year or this year, I think I'm ready. It'll be a
challenge next year. If I went to the NBA, I'd have to give 100%. I can't
turn back. If I stay in school, I have to give 100% to show my back is
okay. I've received a lot of information. I've decided to put off the NBA
for one more year and stay for my senior year."

"I've been pushed in so many ways the last couple of weeks. If I make the
jump, I want to show what I can do. I felt like Coach Rosborough said, I
didn't want to be in the world where I had to take responsibility. Not like
I'm just a big kid here. Since I'm staying I'll be on course to graduate. I
know we are going to have a good team, I know I'm going to play well. Most
of the general managers tell me like everybody else, my strength will be a
question on the next level. They all say I'd be one of the top players. But
I wouldn't be able to make a huge impact. When I go to the NBA, I want to
be huge wherever I go."

"You never know who is going to do well for which team next year. I know
I'm going to play well. Just on our team, we've got two or three guys who
can be player of the year. Being with my teammates, they were a big factor.
We probably have the goofiest, silliest team in the nation. Another year is
not going to kill me, especially with these guys."

"Whether I left this year or next year, it's going to be a hard transition.
It (his back) still has to heal. We definitely expect a full recovery.
Until then, I have to relax. The doctors don't have to tell me twice to
relax. With the condition I am in now, I wouldn't have been 100% in all the
trials. Not being 100% and not being at all the tryouts would have hurt me.
We are definitely not rushing anything right now. Maybe a month or two. We
are just taking our time to make sure everything is okay. And it will be.
Hopefully, I'll be back in a couple of months, running and jumping."

"Anytime I've taken a lot of time to make a decision, it's been the wrong
decision. I was uncertain 40 minutes ago. A huge part of me wants to stay.
As tempting as the NBA is, it's not right for me. I knew everything I
wanted to say, just whether I wanted to go or stay in school."

"Just by knowing Tim (Duncan) and the person he was, he definitely got
better. He proved in his senior season that he was everything he had been
before. By me coming back, I'll definitely be a better player but also a
better person. Emotionally and handling things off the court, I'll be more
mature."

"Taking out an insurance policy on myself doesn't seem right."

On his mother's influence:
"For her, a big part of my college experience should be getting my degree.
She really wanted me to get my degree. After summer school and the fall,
I'll probably have three classes to take during the spring."

Associate Head Coach Jim Rosborough:
"For Coach Olson and the entire staff, I'm extremely pleased. Over his few
years here, we have all gotten to like Loren (Woods) a lot. Like all the
kids in the program, he is a great young man. I feel he represents the
community and the university well. I think Loren likes his teammates. He
had fun here. It's fun. The big thing to be concerned about now is Loren.
Talking for his teammates, friends, and the institution, we are very pleased."

"Loren didn't say anything to us. We talked to some general managers. But
he hadn't said anything. We like Loren a lot, and not just as a basketball
player. Like Loren said, they (the players)have a good time."

Sophomore Richard Jefferson:
"It's great news for the university, the team, everybody. We were a #1 seed
last year with a bunch of freshmen, sophomores, and a couple of juniors.
Next year, we are going to be a dominant team. I think we are going to
dominate again. We have a great preseason schedule again."

On potentially being next year's preseason #1 team:
"Maybe preseason #1? If we are not #1, there's something wrong with the
polls."

Redshirt Freshman Luke Walton:
"I didn't know, but I wasn't surprised. He came to me as he came to other
people. We have been wondering the whole time. He's always joking around so
you can never tell when he's sure. This is life. This is a big decision. I
think next year will be the best team we will have. It's the best thing for
him. It's the best thing for Richard (Jefferson) and Mike (Wright)."

Redshirt Senior Eugene Edgerson:
"Everyone, including myself, is happy. I wasn't involved this year. Next
year, I am going to be involved with a lot of good players."