Kentucky Guard Archie Goodwin to Enter NBA Draft; Willie Cauley-Stein and Kyle Wiltjer to Return to UK


With an overloaded recruiting class coming to Lexington next fall, for weeks eyes have been watching current Kentucky players to see what decisions they’d in regards to next season. Yesterday, point guard Ryan Harrow transferred to Georgia State, and today, freshman guard Archie Goodwin announced he will forgo his sophomore year and instead enter the NBA Draft. Goodwin was the team’s leading scorer at 14 points per game, and garnered Freshman All-SEC honors. Also announced today was that Willie Cauley-Stein and Kyle Wiltjer will return for their sophomore and junior seasons, respectively. UKAthletics.com has the details: “‘Willie and Kyle believe it is in their best interest to return to Kentucky next season to achieve those dreams, and I fully support their decisions,’ Calipari said… ‘Although I really wanted Archie to return for his sophomore season, I fully support him choosing to pursue his dreams. He has the drive and desire to be great and I will continue to do everything I can to make sure he succeeds in life both on and off the court… I believe, with another year of hard work and competition, they all can take their games to the next level. I look forward to seeing them all grow into young men.’ Goodwin, a Little Rock, Ark., native posted 25 double-figure scoring games and had five outings with 20 or more points. He ranked second on the team in assists (87) and steals (35). ‘This is something I’ve dreamed about my entire life and I feel like the opportunity is there for me to play at the next level,’ Goodwin said. ‘I will stay in Lexington to finish my schoolwork this semester before continuing to pursue my dream. I’ve loved my time at UK and want to thank Coach Cal, the staff and my teammates for helping me get where I am. I especially want to thank the Big Blue Nation for all their support.’