Kentucky fans, if you had any delusions about the current incarnation of the Wildcats basketball team sticking around for another season, you best leave them at the door. UK announced Wednesday that five Wildcats will put their names in NBA draft.
Cousins, Wall Among Five Kentucky Basketball Players To Enter Draft
Kentucky freshmen Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton and John Wall and junior Patrick Patterson will enter their names. A news release from UK says all five players are projected as first-round picks.
Despite the huge number, this comes as little surprise to anyone who’s followed the team all season. No word if any or all of the players will be signing with agents right away, though Kentucky blog A Sea of Blue says Orton will apparently not.
This also doesn’t come as any shock to head coach John Calipari. He’s the one who encouraged them all to go.
“I’ve spoken with all five guys concerning the NBA and have encouraged them to put their names in the draft,” UK coach John Calipari said. “They’ve all met individually with our compliance office to make sure they have a full understanding of eligibility rules and academic responsibilities. I’m so proud of these five young men, with everything they did for us on the court and the way they represented us off of it.
“It’s extremely unusual for four freshmen from the same team to have this opportunity, but it’s my job as a coach to prepare these young men for such opportunities.”
Keep an eye on A Sea of Blue for updates and reaction.
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