Associated Press
LEXINGTON, Ky. ó Kentucky freshmen Terrence Jones, Brandon Knight and junior DeAndre Liggins are heading to the NBA. Maybe.
The school announced Wednesday all three players have declared for the NBA draft but will not sign with an agent, clearing the way for them to return to school next fall if they change their mind by May 8.
Jones and Knight are considered mid-to-high first-round picks while Liggins is a defensive stopper who hopes to play his way into the first round after being evaluated by scouts.
The trio helped the Wildcats to their first Final Four appearance in 13 years this spring. Kentucky fell to Connecticut in the national semifinals.
Knight averaged 17.3 points at point guard and proved to be one of the best clutch performers in the country. The 6-foot-3 Knight hit a pair of game-winning shots during the teamís NCAA tournament run. His driving lay-up helped Kentucky escape an upset bid by Princeton in the second round and his pull-up jumper with 5 seconds left allowed the Wildcats to knock off top-seeded Ohio State in the regional semifinals.
ěPlaying in the NBA has always been a dream of mine and this is the next step,î Knight said. ěAll season long coach has been tutoring me on the fine points of being a point guard, and now I have an opportunity to put my game on display in front of NBA scouts as a result of my hard work.î
PRINCETON GETS COACH
PRINCETON, N.J. ó Princeton introduced Mitch Henderson as its coach Thursday, handing the reins of its basketball program to a former Tigers point guard who played in three NCAA tournaments under Pete Carril and Bill Carmody.
The 1998 Princeton graduate replaces former teammate Sydney Johnson, who left for Fairfield. Henderson inherits a team that was co-Ivy League champion and nearly stunned Kentucky in the first round of this yearís tournament.
Henderson believes he is prepared for his first head coaching job after spending the past 11 years as Carmodyís assistant at Northwestern, noting this is a different situation than he entered with the Wildcats.
ěWhen you inherit a program thatís down you fight the culture of losing and that is just so difficult,î Henderson said before a packed house in the football pressbox. ěWith inheriting a group (at Princeton) that really knows what theyíre doing, you must highlight the strengths of that team. That will be done. Weíre going to play the way that gives us the best chance to be successful.î
BURKS LEAVES BUFFS
BOULDER, Colo. ó Shooting guard Alec Burks is leaving Colorado early for the NBA draft after a record-setting sophomore season with the Buffaloes.
Burks was joined by Colorado coach Tad Boyle and his teammates at a news conference to announce his decision Thursday. Burks said he wresteld for weeks with the notion of skipping his final two years of eligibility, and consulted with his family, coaches and others, including former Colorado star and current New York Knicks guard Chauncey Billups.
ěIt was tough,î said Burks, who plans to hire an agent in the coming days. ěI was really deciding on coming back. I wasnít ready to give up the college experience. But I had to make the best decision for myself, and thatís what I feel like I did.î
The NBA draft is scheduled for June 23.
ěThe NBA is a dream of mine,î Burks said. ěI feel like Iíve got to take advantage of it.î
Boyle said that Burks is ready to make the jump to the professional ranks and he fully supported his decision.
ěObviously, heís proved he can produce in one of the best leagues in the country and at the highest levels of college basketball,î Boyle said. ěYouíre talking about a situation where Alec can put himself on a course to take care of himself and his family for years to come. Itís hard to begrudge anybody that opportunity, especially someone who has worked as hard as heís worked.î
Burksí consistently productive play at Colorado has made his draft stock rise.
The 6-foot-6 guard ranks third on the school scoring list with an average of 19 points per game. He set the single-season scoring record of 779 points this season while helping Colorado reach the NIT semifinals in New York, and also set the freshman scoring record of 512 points.
Several mock drafts project Burks going in the middle of the first round, though Burks believes he has the potential to be a lottery pick.
ěIím going to work on everything to get my game right for the NBA,î he said.
Boyle believes Coloradoís basketball future remains bright, adding that it is better off in the long run having had Burks the past two seasons.
ěWeíre not as good and weíre not as experienced, but that doesnít mean we canít have a great year,î Boyle said. ěIím optimistic, and Iím proud of Alec. This is something we can use as a positive in our recruiting efforts. Part of coming to this campus is following your dream and whether youíre a basketball player or a chemical engineer or whatever the case may be, you want to follow your dream. Alecís dream is to play in the NBA and heís realized that at Colorado.î
The Associated Press
04/21/11 18:16