Stillwater, Okla. ? Guard JamesOn Curry announced Monday that he would skip his senior season at Oklahoma State and remain eligible for the NBA Draft.

“It has always been a dream of mine to play in the NBA, and now is the time for me to pursue that dream,” Curry said. “This is an opportunity that I just can’t pass up. I’m ready for a new chapter in my life.”

Curry, who averaged 17.3 points and shot 41 percent from three-point range last season, still could return to Oklahoma State if he does not sign with an agent and he is not taken in the June 28 draft.

Curry expressed gratitude to retired Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton and current Cowboys coach Sean Sutton and said it was a “difficult decision” to make.

“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed having JamesOn as a part of the Cowboy basketball family,” Sean Sutton said. “I appreciate the many contributions that he’s made to our program. He’s a special young man who is a terrific basketball player. He also excelled in the classroom during his time in our program.

“He was fun to coach, and I’m proud of the way he has matured, both as a player and as a person during his three years at Oklahoma State. I want to wish him the best of luck in the upcoming draft. We are all pulling for him to fulfill his dream of playing in the NBA.”

Curry broke the North Carolina high school scoring record with 3,307 points in his four years at Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane, N.C. He was a key addition to the Oklahoma State squad that went to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 in 2004-05. He was the Cowboys’ second-leading scorer the past two seasons behind forward Mario Boggan.