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Former UCLA forward Trevor Ariza has officially ended his college career by signing with an agent to represent him in the NBA Draft on June 24.

Ariza, 18, in any case, had made it clear when declaring for the draft in April that it was unlikely he would return to UCLA after securing a release from his scholarship agreement so he could concentrate on his workout regimen.

He now will forgo the final three years of eligibility he would have had after possibly transferring to another school, a scenario that UCLA coach Ben Howland had downplayed.

One of 94 early entrants in the draft, the 6-foot-7 Ariza is projected by most mock drafts to be a second-round selection, with the possibility of not being selected at all after a freshman season in which he was just the third-leading scorer on the team. Only first-round picks receive guaranteed contracts.

Ariza signed with Todd Ramasar, a former UCLA swingman who also represents New Orleans Hornets guard and former Bruin star Baron Davis for Life Sports Management in Los Angeles.

Dijon Thompson, UCLA’s other declared forward, is awaiting an invitation this week to attend the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago. He will not sign with an agent and indicated in April that he would likely return for his senior season at UCLA, where he led the team in scoring as a junior.

Evan Burns, a forward who signed a national letter of intent in 2002 to play at UCLA before having it voided due to academics, is also an early entrant into the draft after a brief stint at San Diego State.