May 6, 2011

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky All-American Brandon Knight will forego his sophomore season and keep his name in this year’s NBA Draft.

Knight, a Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., native led the team and ranked fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game. His 4.2 assist average was second in the SEC. He set the UK freshman scoring record, scoring 657 points, and also broke the UK freshman 3-point record with 87 3s.

“This past year was a great experience for me,” Knight said. “With all of the accomplishments that my teammates and I were able to make, making it to the Final Four, it was a great run for us. … I just want to thank Big Blue Nation for all of the support. I want to thank the coaching staff. The tough times they put me through only made me better as a player. I love playing with my teammates. I have a great group of guys around me. We pulled it together through a lot of tough times. When a lot of people didn’t think we could do certain things, we got stronger as a group.”

The 6-3 guard received All-America honors from FoxSports.com and was named Freshman All-America by several outlets. His efforts in the NCAA Tournament earned him East Region Most Outstanding Player and he was also named SEC Freshman of the Year by several media outlets.

The 2011 NBA Draft will take place on June 23.