Three players from Kentucky Wildcats declare for National Basketball Association Draft - NBA Update
Three talented players, junior DeAndre Liggins and freshmen Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight from the Kentucky Wildcats have declared that they are heading into the National Basketball Association Draft this year.
The underclassmen have not signed with any agent, so they can return to school by next fall in case they will change their mind by May 8. The underclassmen have until April 24 to register their names for NBA Draft and until May 8 to take out their names.
Though the Wildcats lost the semi-finals of the national championships against Connecticut, but the trio helped Kentucky make their Final Four appearance in 13 years this spring. Knight and Jones are deemed as mid to high first-round picks, while Liggins
is a defensive stopper who expects to play in the first round once he gets assessed by the scouts.
6ft 6in Liggins, is from Chicago and plays as guard with the Wildcats. During this season he served Kentucky’s defence though he came along way, but he still needs to prove himself compared to the other two. Liggins emerged as one of the top defenders of
the country, but his offensive side is limited. In this season Liggins scored with an average of 8.6 points per game along with 4.0 rebounds in each game and leads the team with his 46 steals.
Liggins was chosen for the Lefty Driesell Defensive All-America Team and was named the South-Eastern Conference Defensive Player in addition he was also selected for the SEC All-Defensive Team by the league coaches.
Regarding his move to the NBA Draft, Liggins said, “I’m excited about the opportunity to enter my name into the draft, putting me one step closer to realizing my dream.”
Knight, the 6ft 3in point-guard is from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and is rated as the fourth highest scorer of the league. He scored with a healthy average of 17.3 points per game and proved to be one of the top clutch players. Knight was second in the SEC
with 4.2 assist average. He holds the school freshman scoring record, by scoring 657 points, and broke the freshman three-point record by knocking down 87.
He was named as the Most Outstanding Player of the NCCA East Regional plus fifth-team All-America. Knight led the Wildcats in the NCAA tournament, where he shot a pair of game-winning shots during the team's run. His driving reverse-pivot helped Kentucky
avoid an upset in the second-round by Princeton and the Wildcats knocked down top-seeded Ohio State in the regional semi-finals with his pull-up jumper just five seconds before the game ended.
Knight said, “Playing in the NBA has always been a dream of mine and this is the next step.”
Jones the 6ft 8in power-forward is from Portland, Oregon. During the season he contributed with an average of 5.7 points, 8.8 boards and 1.9 blocks and holds the Kentucky freshman record, as he poured 35 points in a triumph over Auburn in January. Jones
is leading the league in double-doubles with 13 and rebounding. He was rated sixth in blocks and seventh in scoring. He was also named the SEC Newcomer of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year.
The forward willingly took a slightly lesser role in the post-season, so his team-mates can get more minutes. Kentucky’s Coach John Calipari termed that move as a key to their success in the post-season.
Jones said, “Coach Cal and the rest of the staff pushed us all year long and helped us develop every part of our game to help prepare us for this point in our lives. This will be a great chance for me to measure my skills against some of the best in the
country and receive additional information on where I fit into this year’s draft.”
Coach John Calipari supported their decision and encouraged the trio to take benefit of the process, but stated that he will keep supporting his players in weighing their prospects.
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