By Steven Du Bois
The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. - Oregon's Luke Ridnour will skip his senior season and enter the NBA draft, his mother said late Tuesday.

The 6-foot-2 guard faxed his intent to enter the June 26 draft to the league office in New York. A news conference has been scheduled for Thursday in Eugene.

Ridnour hasn't hired an agent yet, which leaves him the option of withdrawing before the June 19 deadline, Muriel Ridnour said.

"It's a dream he's been waiting for his whole life," she said.

Ridnour was the Pacific-10 player of the year. He averaged 20 points and seven assists and shot 38 percent from 3-point range. He was selected MVP of the Pac-10 tournament.

In the 2002 NCAA tournament, he led the Ducks to the regional final before losing to Kansas. In 2003, Ridnour missed eight of his first nine shots and finished just 3-of-13 as Oregon lost in the first round to Utah.

Ridnour was coached by his father, Rob, in high school, then became the Pac-10 freshman of the year.

Muriel Ridnour said her son decided to enter the NBA draft after consulting members of his family. She said the family hopes he's taken by a team close to home.

"I know it's a dream a lot of kids had, but I always believed he was the one to do it," she said. "From the time he was a little kid, he got up early, jumped rope, shot hoops and practiced his ballhandling drills. Not many kids have that kind of dedication."