Kentucky freshman guard Isaiah Briscoe has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will return to campus for his sophomore season.
“I really grew from this experience and I appreciate the opportunity to be evaluated by these NBA teams,” Briscoe said in a statement. “I also want to thank the coaching staff and the fans for their support during this time. The NBA is my ultimate goal, so I’m returning to build on last year. There’s no better place to grow as a player or to win a championship, and I want to do both.”
The 6-foot-3 former Roselle (N.J.) Catholic star was not invited to the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago but worked out for several NBA teams, including San Antonio, the Clippers, the Lakers, Minnesota and Atlanta.
He was not projected to get drafted in 2016 by DraftExpress.com, and is listed at No. 44 in 2017.
“After finishing up academically, Isaiah Briscoe used the new rules to the fullest by working out for eight different teams to get a true barometer on where he stands at this point in his career,” head coach John Calipari said. “I can tell you all the teams were impressed with him physically, defensively, his rebounding ability, his strength, his ball-handling ability and his basketball IQ. He shot the ball well at the NBA workouts but will look to continue to improve that to take the next step in his career. With that said, he’s pulling his name out of the draft and returning to Kentucky as the leading scorer and rebounder. Without his impact and competitive spirit, last year’s team would not have been nearly as successful. I fully expect him to come back and be a leader on and off the court for this young team. I’m excited to have him back.”
Briscoe, who averaged 9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists this past season at Kentucky, joins incoming guards De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk in Kentucky’s backcourt. Charles Matthews announced he will transfer.
As Ben Roberts of NextCats.com pointed out, Briscoe (32.2) and Derek Willis (18.6) will be Kentucky’s only returning players who averaged more than 10 minutes per game last season.
Fox has drawn comparisons to former Kentucky guard John Wall and could be the primary point guard.
Meantime, Kentucky junior Marcus Lee also withdrew from the Draft and announced he will transfer.
(Photo: USA Today Sports)
