He had a choice between trying to strike while his name is hot, or working to make himself a more-polished pro prospect by returning to UL for his senior season.

Although the call evidently was not an easy one, Elfrid Payton has opted to go for it now.

The Ragin’ Cajun point guard publicly declared his early eligibility for the upcoming NBA Draft on Monday morning, doing so via a personal statement released by the school.

He leaves after a junior season in which he helped take UL to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, where it lost its opening game to Creighton.

Payton did not respond to an interview request made through a UL spokesman, and did not disclose reasons for making the choice he did.

"This has been a long and engaging process for both me and my family," he said in his statement.

"First, I would like thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to make a decision like this. I would also like to thank my family, coaches and the people close to me that have helped me gather information during this process."

The 20-year-old is considered by some to be a possible first-round pick in the June 28 NBA Draft, though on Monday NBA.com’s David Aldridge had him projected as a late first-/early second-round selection.

"I sincerely want to say ‘thank you’ to my coaches, my teammates, and most importantly the great Ragin’ Cajun fans that have supported me during the last three seasons," Payton added in his statement. "This has been a great three years where I’ve grown up, both on and off the court. I will be Cajun forever. Thank you for everything."

Payton, from Gretna and John Ehret High, boosted his stock in the eyes of NBA scouts by helping USA Basketball win gold last summer at the FIBA U19 World Championship in the Czech Republic.

He averaged 19.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.3 steals for the Cajuns in 2013-14, leading the Sun Belt in both assists and steals and finishing second among league scoring leaders.

He won numerous postseason honors, including Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year and the Lefty Driesell Award as the nation’s top defensive player. Payton also was named state Player of the Year by both the Louisiana Sports Writer’s Association (LSWA) and the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches (LABC).

"As always," UL coach Bob Marlin said in a statement of his own Monday night, "I support Elfrid and will continue to do so.

"For the past three years, I have watched him develop as a tremendous leader, both on and off the court. He has met every challenge that has been presented to him in the game of basketball – from high school, to competing for USA Basketball, and most importantly, helping restore the rich tradition of Ragin’ Cajuns basketball.

"I am proud for him," added Marlin, who took UL to its first NCAA Tourney since 2005, "and I am confident that he will be successful as he enters this next stage in his life."

Based on a consensus of discussions with dozens of unnamed NBA and college coaches and NBA general managers, scouts and team executives, NBA.com’s Aldridge has Payton pegged as the sixth most NBA-ready point guard prospect in this year’s draft – behind Aussie Dante Essum, Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart, Syracuse’s Tyler Ennis, Serb Vasilje Micic and UCLA’s Zach LaVine.

Several pro scouts and opposing college coaches have lauded Payton for having NBA-quality skills on the defensive end and ability to control the pace of a game.

But his outside shooting – including 25.9 percent from 3-point range last season – is considered quite suspect, and it’s a major reason he is not a higher-rated prospect.

Payton’s departure leaves UL in need of a new starting point guard heading into the 2014-15 season.

Last season’s backup, highly regarded junior-to-be Kasey Shepherd, is expected to be a leading contender for the job, and Marlin’s Cajuns have been recruiting potential transfers from the juco ranks as well.

Shepherd’s 2013-14 season was cut short by knee surgery, but he in 20 games before getting hurt he shot a Sun Belt-high 54.2 percent on trey tries.

STATEMENT FROM ELFRID PAYTON REGARDING THE 2014 NBA DRAFT

Sports Information Director

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

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