Anthony Davis Among Five Kentucky Starters Leaving for NBA
A 7 p.m. (EST) press conference was called on Tuesday night to announce the intentions of all five starters from a Kentucky Wildcats’ squad that is fresh off a National Championship.
During that press conference, freshmen Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, as well as sophomores Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb all officially announced themselves eligible for the 2012 NBA Draft.
The five players, in addition to senior forward Darius Miller are all expected to be selected in this June’s NBA Draft. In fact, there is the chance that all six prospects may have the potential to be chosen within the draft’s first round.
The University of Kentucky holds the record for the most first round selections in any NBA Draft, when five players off the 2010 squad that was eliminated in the Elite 8, were drafted in the opening round.
Among the most highly-regarded of the five starters include freshman forward Anthony Davis, who is widely regarded as the clear-cut No. 1 selection in June. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who joined Davis as a first-team all-SEC performer this past season, is also considered to be a Top-5 selection.
NBADraft.net predicts all five of the recently declared UK players to be selected in the first round of the event. For a complete look at DraftExpress’ Top-100 prospects in the 2012 NBA Draft, click here.
Kentucky and head coach John Calipari have become well-known for putting a new meaning to the saying, “We don’t rebuild, but we reload,” and that can certainly be put into play as the Wildcats glare ahead to the 2012-13 season.
At the moment, UK currently owns the No. 1 recruiting class in the country heading into next season, highlighted by the recent addition of Massachusetts-native Nerlens Noel. The highly-touted recruit announced his intentions to head to Lexington last week on ESPNU.
Along with Noel, Kentucky is also set to welcome in Alex Poythress, Archie Goodwin, and Willie Cauley-Stein. North Carolina State transfer Ryan Harrow will be eligible to play in 2012-13 and is labeled as the likely replacement for Teague at the point guard position.
Kentucky celebrated their eighth national championship back on Apr. 2 and their first as a program since 1998. The title also marked the first such accomplishment for head coach John Calipari.
