Damian Lillard

OGDEN — Damian Lillard took his game to another level after he returned from a broken foot that caused him to miss most of last season, posting one of the greatest seasons in the history of Weber State University.

Today, the junior from Oakland, Calif., is expected to announce he is taking his game to the next level again, leaving school early to declare for the NBA draft.

OGDEN -- On Feb. 28, Weber State took a 14-1 Big Sky record to Missoula with a chance to seal the Big Sky regular season title and host the conference tournament at home. Montana brought an identical league record to the showdown, the first time in Big Sky history two one-loss teams had met.

OGDEN -- Damian Lillard is leaning toward leaving Weber State early for the NBA but hasn't made a final decision yet.

"I'm definitely leaning toward that most likely, but I haven't made a decision for sure whether I'm going to leave or not," Lillard said.

The 6-foot-3 junior point guard from Oakland, Calif., had one of the top individual seasons in WSU and Big Sky history, earning third-team All-America honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches as one of the top scorers in the country at 24.5 points per game.

Before we go any farther, let's get one thing straight: Weber State guard Damian Lillard is still a Wildcat. With another year of eligibility to use, he can come back next season and lend his considerable talent to help getting Weber State into the 2013 NCAA tournament.

The 'Cats fell short this season and there's little doubt Lillard would love another shot at the tournament.

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Wildcats were just minutes from the end of the road before they found a path to victory.

Big Sky MVP Damian Lillard scored 22 points and Weber State got key contributions off the bench as it narrowly escaped Portland State with a 69-63 victory Tuesday at Dahlberg Arena in the semifinals of the Big Sky tournament.

Freshman guard Gelaun Wheelwright tied his career high with 15 points as the Wildcats bench outscored the Vikings bench 26-9.

Weber State junior Damian Lillard has been named the District VIII Player of the Year, the United States Basketball Writers Association announced Tuesday. He was also named to the All-District Team.

In addition, Lillard was named as one of 15 finalists for the John Wooden Player of the Year Award Tuesday.

Lillard and BYU senior forward Noah Hartsock are two of 10 players named to the USBWA All-District VIII Team. District VIII is one of nine districts across the nation and includes players from Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico.