Kentucky Wildcats Basketball

Illinois center Kofi Cockburn said Tuesday he's withdrawn his name from the 2021 NBA draft class and will continue to explore transfer options, including Kentucky, after entering the NCAA's transfer portal last week.

Cockburn told ESPN's Jonathan Givony he's "open" to all options and could still return to the Fighting Illini, but his connection to former Illinois assistant Orlando Antigua, who's joined the Wildcats staff, puts UK firmly in the conversation.

"Kentucky? It's a serious option. Antigua is my guy," he said. "I'm going to consider them, but there [are] a lot of schools. I wasn't really focused on that while I was in the NBA draft. Now I can take my time and evaluate it better."

Cockburn put together a strong sophomore season for the Illini in 2020-21. He averaged 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 65.4 percent from the floor across 31 appearances.

The 21-year-old Jamaica native explained to Givony he felt prepared to make the NBA jump but didn't receive the type of response he wanted from the league's decision-makers.

"I think I'm ready for the next level, but I wasn't happy with the input I was getting from NBA teams," Cockburn said. "I didn't want to settle. I'm going to return for another year, raise my game and improve my draft stock."

In a different era, the 7-foot, 285-pound post player would likely be a top-10 draft pick. The NBA game has evolved toward more versatile big men, however, and the 2021 first-team All-Big Ten selection's game is still a work in progress in that regard.

Cockburn has attempted only one three-point shot and dished out just 25 assists in 62 games for Illinois, and he confirmed to Givony those were the most common concerns raised by pro teams.

"NBA teams are going to see my mid-range game next year and my playmaking," he said.

He'd be a welcome sight for any college program, but especially Kentucky as head coach John Calipari and Co. attempt to quickly bounce back from an uncharacteristically poor 9-16 campaign.

The Wildcats ranked 108th in rebound rate last season (via TeamRankings), and Cockburn could provide an immediate boost on the glass.

That said, it sounds like UK will have ample competition for the center in the transfer portal as he tries to find the best program to bolster his NBA stock heading toward the 2022 draft.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis authored many memorable moments during his single season at Kentucky, one of which included a game-winning block to seal a 73-72 win over North Carolina on Dec. 3, 2011.

Davis' reward for his efforts was a brief scare from ex-UK center and current Los Angeles Clippers center DeMarcus Cousins, who attended the matchup during the NBA lockout and jokingly threatened to split AD's legendary unibrow in two in the postgame locker room.

Former Wildcats guard Jon Hood recalled the story to The Athletic's Kyle Tucker, who wrote an oral history of Davis' one year at Kentucky on Friday:

"We win the game and everybody goes crazy and we’re celebrating in our locker room when DeMarcus comes in and looks at AD and just starts giggling. Then he takes off running to the training room.

"He comes back with athletic tape wrapped around two fingers, sticky side out, and comes right at Anthony. He says, 'Hold still a minute,' and grabs him by the head and tries to wax the unibrow. AD is shielding his face and screaming, ‘No, no, no, no!’ I don’t think he was ever really going to take the brow, but he was just letting Anthony know he was in the club, he was one of those guys at Kentucky. He had Boogie’s respect, which not a lot of people have. It was kind of a coronation."

Davis' unibrow stayed intact as the Wildcats rolled off 38 wins in 40 games en route to a national championship.

AD averaged 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.7 blocks and 1.4 steals per game and won the Naismith College Player of the Year and John R. Wooden Award among other accolades.

The Kentucky Wildcats landed their point guard of the future when TyTy Washington joined their 2021 recruiting class on Wednesday.

"There is a big challenge at Kentucky for playing time and a leadership role," Washington said, per ESPN's Jeff Borzello. "I always liked a challenge."

The 6'3" Washington checks in as a 5-star prospect and the No. 21 overall player, No. 3 point guard and No. 2 player from Arizona in the class of 2021, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He announced on April 17 that he was down to the six schools of Arizona, Oregon, Kansas, Baylor, Kentucky and LSU.

"I just felt like those six, each of the school's situation fits me best," he said, per Chris Fisher of 247Sports. "The style of play, location, opportunity to come in and play right away, the relationship I have with the coaches. Not just the assistants but the head coaches."

While the point guard decided between those schools, there was a time when he was part of Creighton's 2021 class.

However, Washington told Kyle Tucker of The Athletic he decommitted from the Bluejays because head coach Greg McDermott said "I need everyone to stay on the plantation" and was suspended for the comment.

"It was definitely the controversy," he said. "I really wanted to attend Creighton. It felt like the situation and the plan Coach McDermott had for me was really good. So it was kind of heartbreaking once I found out what he said. I just felt like the day and age we're living in—a police officer just killed another young Black man for no reason—him saying something like that, it's just not right."

It was a major loss for Creighton on the court, as Washington is one of the most productive playmakers in his entire class.

Fisher noted he averaged 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds per game behind 48 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent shooting from three-point range as the Max Preps Arizona Player of the Year as a high school senior.

His ability to shoot from the outside, facilitate when defenders collapse on his penetration, rebound from the backcourt and defend multiple positions at his size stands out and should help him make a significant impact as soon as his freshman season at the next level.

If Washington lives up to expectations, Kentucky should quickly return to its winning ways come March.

While John Calipari is running a national powerhouse program, the Wildcats were an ugly 9-16 last season and missed the Big Dance. They are well positioned to bounce back from that showing and make a deep run in 2021-22 with their new point guard on the roster.

Kentucky lost a key recruit Friday, as guard Nolan Hickman Jr. decommitted from the school. 

Jack Pilgrim of Kentucky Sports Radio reported that Hickman's father informed the outlet of the decision.

Hickman is rated as a 4-star prospect by 247Sports, as well as the No. 29 overall player, No. 4 point guard and No. 1 player from the state of Utah in the 2021 recruiting class.

The Mount Pleasant, Utah, native starred at Wasatch Academy and was one of the Wildcats' best commits before deciding against playing under head coach John Calipari at Kentucky.

Per 247Sports, Hickman was the second-ranked recruit in the 2021 class to have signed a letter of intent with Kentucky behind power forward Daimion Collins, who is ranked 10th nationally. No. 30-ranked Bryce Hopkins has signed a letter of intent as well.

Additionally, Kentucky has landed a pair of 4-star transfers in power forward Oscar Tshiebwe from West Virginia and point guard Kellan Grady from Davidson.

As part of his analysis for Hickman last year, 247Sports national recruiting analyst Josh Gershon lauded his competitiveness, mental makeup and scoring, facilitating and defensive ability. Gershon called Hickman an "easy high major starter with NBA upside."

Hickman would have had a legitimate chance to play big minutes for the Wildcats as a freshman, but Calipari must now turn to some other backcourt options.

The aforementioned Grady could be Calipari's top point guard in 2021-22, while returning sophomore Devin Askew is in line for a heavy workload as well despite a tough freshman campaign in which he averaged just 6.5 points and 2.9 assists per game, while shooting 34.5 percent from the field.

The 2020-21 season was a nightmarish one for Kentucky as a whole, as it went just 9-16 and missed the NCAA tournament for only the second time in 11 years under Calipari.

Losing a player with Hickman's potential could make bouncing back an even more difficult endeavor for the Wildcats.

Kentucky head men's basketball coach John Calipari wrote an open letter Friday sharing his thoughts following the death of former Wildcats guard Terrence Clarke on Thursday.

Calipari published the letter on his website and fondly remembered Clarke as a positive and loving person and player:

"His heart was overflowing with love for his family, his friends and his teammates. He was as caring of a person as I have ever coached. His enthusiasm and energy–not just for basketball, for life–are what we all hope to have in our journey. Terrence had figured that part out–that if you wake up every day with a smile on your face and a joy in everything you do, this life is beautiful. 

"I think that is part of the reason why you see unbelievable magnitude of heartache today from everyone across our game and our country. Terrence had that spirit about him that rubbed off on every single person that was fortunate to cross paths with him. He was the person everyone wanted to be around and the guy everyone gravitated to."

Calipari also noted that he recently felt that he should reach out to the Kentucky players who weren't going to be returning next season, including Clarke, but he never got a chance to do it. That's left him feeling regret but taught him an important lesson.

"What I will learn from this is that when you want to tell someone how you feel or just want to talk to them, don't wait," he wrote. "Don't wait for tomorrow to put your arms around someone and tell them you love them or that you're thinking about them. Every day we have is a gift."

Per ESPN, Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. John Matassa announced Thursday that Clarke died in a car accident in L.A.

Matassa said Clarke ran a red light "at a very high rate of speed" before colliding with a vehicle, light pole and block wall. The person driving the other vehicle was uninjured.

In a statement released after Clarke's death, Calipari said he was "gutted and sick."

Calipari summed up his relationship with Clarke in the letter: "I loved Terrence Clarke and I was hard on Terrence Clarke. I made sure he knew both because I would tell him. I wanted what was best for him, and there is no doubt in my mind that he was headed towards greatness."

Clarke was a freshman at Kentucky this past season, but he was limited to just eight games due to injury. In those games, Clarke averaged 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists.

The talented guard from Boston declared for the 2021 NBA draft at the conclusion of the season and hired Rich Paul of Klutch Sports as his agent.

Former Kentucky men's basketball star Terrence Clarke died following a car crash in Los Angeles on Thursday, his agent, Rich Paul, confirmed to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Clarke was 19 years old. 

"I am absolutely gutted and sick tonight," Kentucky head coach John Calipari said in a statement. "A young person who we all love has just lost his life too soon, one with all of his dreams and hopes ahead of him. Terrence Clarke was a beautiful kid, someone who owned the room with his personality, smile and joy. People gravitated to him, and to hear we have lost him is just hard for all of us to comprehend right now. We are all in shock."

The Boston native was reportedly working out in Southern California in preparation for the 2021 NBA draft prior to the crash. After one season with the Wildcats, Clarke announced he was turning pro and signing with an agent. 

News of Clarke's death was immediately felt across both college and pro basketball with many taking to Twitter to mourn the loss.

A 6'7" guard who averaged 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in eight games with Kentucky, Clarke was expected to play a significant role before an ankle injury ended his regular season in late December. He appeared in the team's SEC tournament loss to Mississippi State, playing 10 minutes in the second-round loss.

Regardless of the small sample size, scouts thought highly enough of his talents for the teenager to attempt a leap to the NBA. 

The Brewster Academy alum was a ranked a five-star recruit by 247Sports, which named him the No. 8 player overall in the class of 2020 and the No. 2 shooting guard in the nation. The outlet's director of basketball scouting reported Clarke had lottery-pick potential and compared favorably to the Detroit Pistons' Josh Jackson. 

After being named a McDonald's All-American in high school, Clarke selected Kentucky over offers from Baylor, UConn, Illinois, Kansas, Louisville, Syracuse, UCLA, Duke, Michigan and Villanova. 

In announcing his decision to turn pro, Clarke said having the opportunity to play for the Wildcats was a "lifelong goal" and the experience was one he would keep with him forever. 

Brandon Boston Jr.'s college career is over after one season.

The Kentucky wing declared for the 2021 NBA draft on Saturday in an Instagram post, noting he will also sign with an agent.

"Being a professional basketball player has been my dream for as long as I can remember," Boston wrote. "I'm excited for this opportunity and I know that I will have the foundation to handle anything that comes my way because of my time as a Wildcat."

Boston arrived at Kentucky as a 5-star prospect, the No. 5 overall player and No. 1 shooting guard in the class of 2020, per 247Sports' composite rankings. Expectations were understandably high given his ceiling and the program's pedigree, although the 2020-21 campaign did not exactly go according to plan.

The Wildcats didn't even make the NCAA men's tournament and finished with a losing record at 9-16.

Boston flashed his potential at times and averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game but shot just 35.5 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from three-point range.

Still, there is plenty to like about his NBA prospects.

Boston is 6'7" with the length and athleticism to be a difference-maker. He can guard multiple positions on the wing and is quick enough to stay in front of guards. He is also long enough to bother outside shooters and battle for boards even from the backcourt.

Offensively, the 19-year-old can attack the basket off the bounce, flash into space when defenders collapse on teammates, finish through contact at the rim and get out in transition.

The shooting numbers are a concern, but Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected him to be a late-first-round pick in a February mock draft with the idea there will be "a team willing to buy low and bet on his shooting being better than this year's numbers suggest." 

If the shooting is better, Boston should be a successful NBA player even if he didn't get an opportunity to play in the Big Dance at Kentucky.

Kentucky freshman guard Terrence Clarke announced on Twitter on Friday that he was declaring for the 2021 NBA draft:

Clarke averaged 9.6 points on 42.1 percent shooting (21.7 percent from three-point range), 2.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in eight games this season.

He suffered an ankle injury during practice before a Dec. 12 matchup against Notre Dame but played through the injury for three games.

But he then missed the next two-and-a-half months before returning to play 10 minutes in UK's 74-73 loss to Mississippi State in the second round of the SEC tournament.

Clarke's best game was a 79-62 loss to Georgia Tech in which he dropped 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting with three assists and three rebounds.

The former 5-star prospect was listed as the eighth-best men's high school basketball player and second-best shooting guard in the 2021 class, per 247Sports' composite ratings. Brian Snow of 247Sports provided this scouting report and compared Clarke to the Golden State Warriors' Andrew Wiggins:

"Clarke should have an immediate impact on college basketball. He is around 6-foot-7 and has long arms, plus athleticism, and is nearly impossible to keep out of the lane. His jump shot is one you have to respect, but it needs refinement. Still, he can get to the rim and is a tremendous passer. Also, he is a very willing rebounder, and someone who defensively has the opportunity to be elite. If he figures out how to bring it every single game, that is when things will take off even higher, and potentially turn himself into a front line player on a good NBA team."

Clarke didn't get much of a chance to showcase his talents. In addition to his absence, the young Wildcats struggled during the coronavirus pandemic-impacted season and finished 9-16.

That lack of playing time could hurt Clarke's draft prospects, and the fact that he struggled shooting the ball could as well. The potential he showed as a prep, however, could lead to his name getting called.

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report had Clarke being selected 53rd by the Sacramento Kings in his latest full mock draft, published Feb. 2.

"Out since late December with an ankle injury, Clarke is running low on time to make an impression after a rocky start," Wasserman wrote. "It's still worth finding out if his shooting is better than his [21.7] three-point percentage suggests given his ability to handle, slash and use the floater at 6'7".

The latest mock draft on NBADraft.net had Clarke going 45th to the Boston Celtics.

Kentucky freshman Isaiah Jackson has declared for the 2021 NBA draft to potentially forgo his final three years of eligibility.

The forward announced his decision Wednesday, although he will not hire an agent and could return to school:

It was an up-and-down season for the 6'10" player, who finished with averages of 8.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game.

Though he had some quiet offensive games earlier in the year, Jackson came on strong down the stretch with some aggressive performances in the paint.

He also showcased his athleticism with the ability to finish above the rim:

Jackson's strength still comes on the defensive end as an elite rim-protector with good enough mobility to handle the top forwards in the sport. He finished third in the country in defensive box plus/minus, per Basketball Reference, an especially impressive figure on a team that struggled to a 9-16 record in 2020-21.

It's this ability that has NBA scouts excited about his future at the next level, even if he doesn't improve as a scorer.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected Jackson to be the No. 25 overall pick in his February mock draft.

An improved jump shot and added strength could take him to the next level as a prospect, but his upside and high floor could ensure his name is called in the upcoming draft.

Freshman forward Cam'Ron Fletcher is going to transfer from Kentucky after one season with the program. 

Per ESPN's Jeff Borzello, the Wildcats announced Saturday that Fletcher has entered the transfer portal. 

Fletcher was expected to be a key part of Kentucky's 2020 recruiting class. The Missouri native was rated as a 4-star prospect and No. 70 overall player coming out of high school last year, per 247Sports composite rankings. 

The partnership between Fletcher and Kentucky appeared to be rocky right from the start. Head coach John Calipari wrote in a tweet on Dec. 21 that he asked Fletcher to step away from the program in order to "reflect and do some soul searching."

Calipari's request came after Fletcher was visibly upset on the Wildcats bench during their 75-63 loss to North Carolina on Dec. 19. 

Fletcher did apologize for his actions the day after the game. He did return to the Wildcats one week after Calipari's request, but he was used sparingly for the remainder of the season. The small forward only played a total of seven minutes in two games against Missouri on Feb. 3 and South Carolina on March 6. 

In nine games overall, Fletcher averaged 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per contest during the 2020-21 season.