PJ Washington: 'I'm back'
PJ Washington is returning to the Kentucky Wildcats for his sophomore season.
The Texas native announced his decision via Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, the deadline day for college players to remain in the NBA Draft pool or withdraw their names.
"I want to thank everyone for their support during this process and allowing me to take my time for one of the most important decisions of my life," Washington said in a statement released by UK. "The plan all along was to get all the information that was out there to make the best decision for me and my family. I've always had a list of goals that I want to accomplish in my life, and one of the most important ones is making it to the NBA. That hasn't changed at all.
"But another one of my goals is to win a national championship in college, and that's what I want to do next season at Kentucky. I believe with who we have coming back and who we have coming in that we can do that. I learned a lot during my freshman season and became a better player, but I think I've only scratched the surface. With everything I've learned, I want to lead this team and compete for a championship. I can't wait to get back on campus and get this thing started again."
The 6-foot-9 Washington averaged 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game as a freshman. He led the Cats in total rebounds (211) and ranked second in blocked shots (31).
He closed the season strong, scoring double figures in 11 of UK's last 12 games. Two of those were double-doubles, including an 18-point, 15-rebound performance in the Cats' final game, an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 loss to Kansas State.
"This is what the NBA Draft rules are in place for," UK coach John Calipari said. "PJ was able to test the waters and get all the information that was available to him to make the best decision for him and his family.
"Whatever PJ decided we were going to support, but I'm really happy with the decision he's come to because I really want to coach PJ for another season. I know how good of a player he is and think he showed it at times last season, but I'm looking forward to seeing him grow and build on it. What I love most about this decision is why PJ is doing it. He told me he wants to come back to be a leader, to grow and to drag his teammates with him as we try to do something special."
Washington is the first of three UK players expected to announce their decisions today. Big Blue Nation is still awaiting word from sophomore forward Wenyen Gabriel and freshman forward Jarred Vanderbilt.
Most of the updated draft projections do not have Gabriel or Vanderbilt tabbed for the first round.
Meanwhile, Kentucky is in the running for a new addition to the roster next season. Stanford's Reid Travis, a 6-8 combo forward who averaged 19.5 points and 8.7 rebounds for the Cardinal last season as a junior, is rumored to be leaning toward UK as a graduate transfer.
Many observers believe that indicates the Cats will lose at least one of the two remaining players with pending decisions.
