Ryan Kalkbrenner withdraws from draft, returns to Creighton

Center Ryan Kalkbrenner will withdraw his name from the NBA draft and return for one more season at Creighton, he tweeted Monday.

Kalkbrenner was a first-team All-Big East selection in 2022-23, a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award for the nation's best center and the league's Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year.

He averaged a career-high 15.9 points along with 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 blocked shots and 1.2 assists per game in 34 games (all starts) for the Bluejays last season. In 99 career games (68 starts) at the university in Omaha, Neb., Kalkbrenner has averaged 11.8 points, 5.8 boards and 2.0 blocks per game.

Creighton is also awaiting a decision from guard Trey Alexander about whether to remain in the draft or return. Wednesday is the deadline for players who have entered the draft to withdraw and retain their NCAA eligibility.