April 2, 2013

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Freshman forward Alex Poythress will return to the Kentucky men’s basketball program for the 2013-14 season, head coach John Calipari announced Tuesday.

“I’m really happy that, after talking with his family and evaluating his options, Alex has decided to return for his sophomore season,” Calipari said. “Alex is a great kid with a lot of potential and I’m excited to be able to work with him next year. I believe we have only scratched the surface with Alex, and another season in college will get him closer to reaching his dreams.”

Poythress earned Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team accolades following his first season for Kentucky. The Clarksville, Tenn., native started in 30-of-32 games in his freshman campaign. He ranked second on the squad in points (11.4) and rebounds (6.2) per game. He began his career by scoring 20 or more points in four of his first five games. The four-game stretch of 20 or more points was the first for any Wildcat since Jodie Meeks did it during the 2008-09 season.

“This year didn’t end like we wanted it to,” Poythress said. “I want to come back and do what we said we wanted to do and that’s win a national title. I want to develop more as a player and the competition coming in next year should help me do that.”

Joining Willie Cauley-Stein and Kyle Wiltjer as announced returnees, the trio combined for 949 points, 40 percent of UK’s offense in 2012-13. The trio also accounted for 515 rebounds, or the equivalent of 41 percent of the team’s total rebounds.

Additional announcements regarding remaining players will be made at a later date.