Iowa State will have a new backcourt next season after Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock announced Wednesday they are entering the NBA draft.

The junior guards both earned all-Big 12 honors last season after leading the Cyclones to a 16-14 record.

Last month, Stinson said he would remain with the Cyclones and also speculated that Blalock would also likely stay for his senior season.

Stinson, who was picked for the all-Big 12 second team for the second straight year, said he’s going pro so he can take better care of his family.

“It has been a great ride and I will never forget everybody who has helped me out,” said Stinson, who averaged 19.4 points this season. “Coach (Wayne) Morgan gave me this opportunity. I was not recruited very heavily out of high school.”

Blalock’s mother, Sheila, said Wednesday night that her son does not plan to sign with an agent, leaving open the possibility he might return next season.

Will Blalock can enter the draft and attend NBA workouts without losing his eligibility, provided he doesn’t hire an agent and pays for all expenses incurred while attending the workouts.

“He was thinking about it all along, but he never made up his mind,” Sheila Blalock told The Associated Press. “I’m really surprised.”

Will Blalock earned third-team all-Big 12 honors this season after ranking second in the league with 6.1 assists per game.

“I feel like I have played against some of the best players in the nation while competing in the Big 12 and I am ready to test my game at the next level,” Will Blalock said.

Both players are in the top 10 of Iowa State’s career list for steals and assists.

“It is immeasurable what these two young men have done for this program and to me personally,” Morgan said. “Any success we have had as a team or I have had as a head coach at Iowa State, they are directly responsible for. It is without question that they are both great players and will have success at the next level.”