ISU All-American point guard Jamaal Tinsley has withdrawn from Iowa State to prepare himself for the National Basketball Association draft.

Tinsley, who led Iowa State to back-to-back Big 12 Conference regular season titles, said he has left the university to pursue something special.

“I have an opportunity to do something special for myself and my mother,” Tinsley said in a press release. “The next two months are a very important time for me to accomplish my dream of playing in the NBA.”

Tinsley averaged 14.3 points per game during the season, but increased his average to 17.2 in Big 12 play. He also had 187 assists (6.0 per game) and 79 steals, all team highs.

The Big 12 Player of the Year also led the team in blocked shots with 19.

Tinsley finished his career at Iowa State with a 57-11 record and never lost a game in Hilton Coliseum since he came to Ames from Mount San Jacinto Junior College.

Last year he was a major factor on a team that fell one game short of reaching the Final Four after losing to eventual national champion Michigan State, 75-64.

Tinsley said that he thanked the fans and his coach for the support that the Brooklyn, N.Y. native has received in Ames.

“I want to thank Coach Eustachy and all of our fans for the great support they have given me since I came to Ames,” Tinsley said. “Iowa State fans are the best in the world.”

ISU head coach Larry Eustachy, who saw former Cyclone star Marcus Fizer become a lottery pick last year, hopes to have a second player be drafted high with Tinsley.

“Jamaal has the chance to pursue what is really the opportunity of a lifetime,” Eustachy said. “He has done so much for us at ISU.”

Eustachy said that Tinsley will be busy until the draft, with work-outs and that he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on school.

“Over the next couple of months he will be going to workouts to exhibit his skills as an NBA first-round draft pick,” Eustachy explained. “He needs to do everything he can do to make the most of the next several weeks before the draft.”

The NBA draft is June 27.