When Skal Labissiere declared for the NBA draft and said he was hiring an agent, I blogged about it because I thought, unlike Jamal Murray who'd declared a few days earlier, that he wasn't ready.

A few days ago, sophomore Tyler Ulis, who began is relationship with the University of Kentucky by saying he was going to be in Lexington four years, did the same thing and also said he was securing representation, thereby bringing his amateur status to an end.

But no blog. And he's my second-favorite UK player of all time.

Ironically, it's my FAVORITE all-time Wildcat and whole OTHER group of Wildcats that stopped me.

Hey, I like Tyler Ulis. This is a really good kid we're talkin' about here and I hope he has an extraordinary career in the NBA.

And he and everyone like him are well within their rights to head out if they want to do that.

But, yeah, I wish they'd hang around. I do. I selfishly, as a huge fan of the college game, wish they'd stay put.

Not gonna happen.

Well, I mean, it's not LIKELY gonna happen.

The Villanova Wildcats wouldn't have won their second national title last Monday without two invaluable seniors. And the rest of those guys? Who can shoot lights out under the heaviest of scrutiny?

They're all comin' back. Not even giving it a second thought, despite the pushback of the reconsideration deadline and the availability of the combine.

And then there's the great Tayshaun Prince. When he played at UK from 1998-2002, there was no rule from the NBA that said you had to be 19 before entering the draft.

And maybe he wasn't ready in '98.  I mean, he WAS awfully gangly.

But he probably could've gone after year two and DEFINITELY after year three. But, no, he played all four years for Kentucky.

A great player.

I guess I just miss getting to know these guys through their work on the court.

Am I being unrealistic? Oh, absolutely.

But, you know, so many wishes are.

 

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