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Freshman forward PJ Washington is returning to school, he announced in a video posted to his social media accounts Wednesday afternoon.
Washington was considered the best 2018 draft prospect of Kentucky's three players testing the waters this year. Sophomore forward Wenyen Gabriel and freshman forward Jarred Vanderbilt announced later Wednesday they would stay in the draft.
"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 UK news release. "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."
As a freshman, Washington averaged 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He improved his play down the stretch, averaging 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 57.6 percent from the floor and scoring in double figures in 11 of UK's final 12 games.
In Kentucky's season-ending NCAA Tournament loss to Kansas State, Washington carried the load with 18 points and a career-high 15 rebounds for his third double-double of the season but hit just 8 of 20 free-throw attempts.
Washington shot 60.6 percent from the free-throw line and 23.8 percent (5 for 21) from 3-point range on the season.
ESPN ranks Washington as the No. 51 prospect in the current draft class but projected him as a first-round pick (No. 18 overall) in its most recent 2019 mock draft, suggesting he might be able to significantly improve his stock if he returns to Kentucky for his sophomore season.
Background:PJ Washington says it's first-round NBA draft guarantee or back to UK
It's NBA draft decision day:Will these UK players return next season?
Washington may have started addressing some lingering concerns about his game at the NBA combine, where he recorded a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds in one scrimmage then hit three straight mid-range jumpers in his second game in Chicago.
At the combine, Washington said a first-round guarantee would keep him in the draft while a second-round guarantee would send him back to Kentucky. UK coach John Calipari said he planned to call teams picking at the end of the first round to gauge if there was legitimate interest in Washington there.
"This is what the NBA Draft rules are in place for,” Calipari said in the release. "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."
With his draft decision behind him, Washington is expected to undergo surgery on an injured left pinky finger in the coming weeks.
He injured the finger in a practice in January and has been playing with a detached tendon since. Washington said in Chicago he is unsure how long the rehab from that injury would keep him out of action.
Jon Hale: jahale@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @JonHale_CJ. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/jonh.
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