A college career measured in leaps and bounds helped Hawaii reach hoops heights it never before touched. That mission accomplished, Aaron Valdes sensed the time was right to make his next jump.
The explosive fourth-year junior followed teammate Stefan Jankovic’s footsteps in declaring for the professional ranks on Thursday, fulfilling a personal dream while UH deals with the reality that its talent pool is rapidly depleting coming off the most successful season in its history.
Valdes, UH’s second-leading scorer behind Jankovic, sent out a decision letter in which he thanked the UH fan base, teammates, current and former coaches and his family.
“It took me a while to kind of figure everything out, talk to my family, talk to my friends,” Valdes said afterward in a phone interview. “See what was the best option for me. Last week it (became) kind of clear what I wanted to do.”
It took me a while to kind of figure everything out, talk to my family, talk to my friends. … Last week it (became) kind of clear what I wanted to do.” – Aaron Valdes on his decision to leave the Warriors
Valdes said he’s in the process of hiring an agent. Once he does, he loses his remaining eligibility.
The SoCal native plans to remain in that area for workouts in the coming weeks. He realizes the NBA presents some long odds but will give it a crack.
“If they’re there, they’re there,” Valdes said of his chances. “If not, I won’t be too disappointed. There’s still overseas. There’s always somewhere to play. That’s the good part about basketball.”
The one-time high school All-American in water polo is used to clawing his way up as a lesser-known hardwood commodity.
Since arriving in Manoa in 2012 as an invited walk-on by then-coach Gib Arnold, Valdes’ role elevated from a redshirt practice player, to reserve role player, to scholarship starter, to a second-team all-conference honoree. The 6-foot-5 wing’s reputation grew from just a dunker to that of an all-around threat at both ends, culminating in Big West tournament MVP honors.
He finished with 975 career points, 18th on the all-time list, two points behind Michael Kuebler. He grabbed more than 400 career rebounds and made an even 100 steals. He showcased vastly improved passing this season and departs as one of three players in UH history to record a triple-double.
Along the way, Valdes (14.1 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game in 2015-16) earned the respect of the Big West’s first-teamer at his position, UCSB senior Michael Bryson.
“It’s just really fun to play against him,” Bryson said after losing to UH in the Big West tournament semifinals. “You know you have to bring your A game, you know you have to bring your athleticism. You have to be ready to play against him. I enjoy playing against good players.”
Eran Ganot, Valdes’ third coach in three years, tried to be as up front with him as possible. Instead of trying to sell Valdes on being the team’s go-to player next season, he underscored the opportunity to repeat as regular-season champion and the chance to play in front of the fanbase in tournaments like the Rainbow Classic and Diamond Head Classic.
“It wasn’t so much a sales pitch as it was a conversation,” Ganot said. “Our jobs are always about the welfare of the student-athletes, not to be selfish. Obviously we’d like to have him back, but it’s to provide all the necessary information for them to make an informed decision, and then to support them either way.”
Transferring penalty-free to another Division I school was never an option, said Valdes, who will need to return in a future semester to complete an internship to finish his degree.
UH’s last two juniors, Mike Thomas and Stefan Jovanovic, still have decisions to make. Jovanovic, UH’s backup center, could announce his plans early next week.
Also Thursday, 7-foot-6 center Mamadou Ndiaye of Big West rival UC Irvine declared for the draft.
Aaron Valdes Decision Letter
