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7 Kentucky players declare for the 2015 NBA Draft

By Josh Criswell

Apr 2, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari speaks to the media during a press conference before the 2015 NCAA Men
Apr 2, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari speaks to the media during a press conference before the 2015 NCAA Men /
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Every year it seems like the Kentucky Wildcats lose several underclassmen, but this season was especially tough on John Calipari’s team, losing seven players to the NBA Draft.

At this afternoon’s press conference, seven players for the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team sat at a table to announce their intentions regarding the 2015 NBA Draft. Head coach John Calipari told the players who would be leaving the school early to stand up. Initially, all seven players remained seated, sending a wave of fear over fellow SEC opponents and a sense of excitement to all Kentucky fans in the room. After a couple seconds, however, the players ended the joke and all seven stood up to announce their decision to go pro, providing relief for every other team in the country.

Sophomore guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison were among those who decided to leave early, along with Willie Cauley-Stein, Karl-Anthony Towns, Trey Lyles, Devin Booker and Dakari Johnson.

At any other school this would be shocking, but not at Kentucky. Calipari has perfected the one-and-done system, and his track record of sending players to the NBA is a big reason why he brings in one of the best recruiting classes in the country year-in and year-out.

“My goal is to have eight of you be drafted,” Calipari told his soon to be former players at their press conference. “They would have to do some historic things for this to happen, and they did. We didn’t quite reach our goal of a national championship, but it does not take away from what these guys have accomplished. If they choose to leave, their scholarship is waiting on them for when they get back.”

While seven players leaving would be a disaster for most schools, the Wildcats should have no problem bouncing back next season. They actually upgrade at point guard by replacing Andrew Harrison with freshman point guard Tyler Ullis. Though Ullis may be nine inches shorter than Harrison, he is also more consistent and much more adept at protecting the basketball, finishing his freshman campaign with an impressive 3.6:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

In addition to having Ullis take the reigns at point guard, the Wildcats could very well have their first senior leader in recent memory in the lineup next season in forward Alex Poythress. Calipari is optimistic about Poythress’ return, but the 6-foot-8 forward is still discussing the decision with his family.

Poythress was thought to be a lock to leave for the draft at the beginning of the season, but a torn ACL appears to have put those plans on hold. If Poythress returns, expect him to play a big role in another successful year for Kentucky, along with the emergence of Ullis as a true floor general and the addition of another top recruiting class.

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