Kentucky shooting guard Doron Lamb has decided to return to school for his sophomore season and will not declare for the NBA Draft, UK announced on Tuesday.
"Last season was an unbelievable run for me and my teammates, winning the SEC Tournament and advancing to the Final Four," Lamb said in a release. "Losing the last game against UConn was tough and I don't want to end my college career with that feeling. With the guys we have coming in next year, I know we have the talent to make another run at a national title. I want to help bring a national championship back to the Big Blue Nation because I know they've been waiting too long. I've enjoyed my time at Kentucky, playing for Coach Cal and his staff and I'm not ready for it to end."
Lamb, a 6-foot-4 guard from Queens, N.Y., was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team by the league coaches and was also named Yahoo! Sports' National Sixth Man of the Year. He averaged 12.3 points while shooting an SEC-leading 48.6 percent from three-point range.
Lamb had not been projected as a surefire first-round pick in this year's draft, but UK coach John Calipari said last week that he thought Lamb could be a lottery pick in the 2012 draft if he were to return to school, add 15 pounds of muscle and continue to improve his defense.
"Doron has the opportunity to improve greatly with an additional year in college," Calipari said in Tuesday's release. "A lot of players have opted to return to school, which made it a tougher decision for him. Not only does he gain another year of maturity and school work, but he now has the chance to put in the extra work to elevate his game. I'm excited to have him back."
UK is still waiting on the decisions of freshmen Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones and junior DeAndre Liggins, all of whom have been considering declaring for the draft. Junior Darius Miller also is a potential candidate to test the waters.
Underclassmen have until April 24 to declare for the draft and have until May 8 to withdraw their name from the draft, provided they do not sign with an agent.
The 2011 NBA draft will take place on June 23.