Freshman guard/forward Jereme Richmond on Tuesday announced his intent to declare for the 2011 NBA Draft and forgo his remaining three years of eligibility at Illinois.

“I enjoyed my time at the University of Illinois and would like to thank the coaching staff and my teammates for everything they’ve done for me,” Richmond said in a press release. “At this time, I’m ready to follow my dreams and achieve my life-long goal of playing in the NBA.”

Richmond, who was named to last season’s All-Big Ten freshman team, is now working out in Chicago and is still weighing his options with regard to signing an agent, according to the press release.

The high school McDonald’s All-American averaged 7.6 points and five rebounds in one season at Illinois. His 156 total rebounds ranked third highest on the team.

He played in all but three of Illinois’ games, during which time he was benched for various infractions.

Transfer rumors began circulating after Richmond’s first benching –Illinois’ Jan. 15 game at Wisconsin – which came after he missed practice because of a trip home to Waukegan, Ill., to take care of what he called “personal matters.”

Richmond responded to those rumors by issuing a statement through the athletic department, which said he wouldn’t transfer and was an “Illini for life.”

Two games later he tallied a career-high 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting against Ohio State on Jan. 22.

He will end his career without NCAA tournament experience, as his later two benchings came during Illinois’ tournament appearance as a result of what Illini head coach Bruce Weber called a violation of team rules.

Nevertheless, after Illinois’ tournament-ending March 20 loss to Kansas, senior Mike Davis expressed belief that Richmond would be a leader next season for an Illinois squad that graduates four seniors.

Weber echoed those sentiments March 29 at his season-ending news conference.

“I think he has personality … He has the ability, and if he can just make a conscious effort of being consistent I think we could easily have him as a leader down the road,” Weber said, exactly one week before Richmond announced he would leave Illinois early.

Junior-to-be Tyler Griffey now marks Illinois’ only returning player listed at the forward position. Incoming freshmen Nnanna Egwu and Mike Shaw will add size to Illinois’ roster, though the gap from Richmond, who verbally committed to Illinois as a freshman in high school, could prove tough to fill.

“Jereme is an extremely talented player who helped us at nearly every position,” Weber said. “His versatility and ability to impact the game in a number of different areas are skills that will help him greatly as he pursues his dream of playing professional basketball.

“We wish Jereme the best and thank him for all he has meant to the Illinois basketball program, from the time he committed as a high school freshman through his contributions this past season.”