TyTy Washington Jr. leaves Kentucky for NBA Draft

The freshman guard averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in 29 starts.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky guard TyTy Washington Jr. will enter the NBA Draft and forego his remaining collegiate eligibility, ending his lone season as the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer.

The 6-foot-3 freshman is the second Wildcats player to enter the Draft pool in what has become a spring ritual for the program. Junior forward Keion Brooks Jr. announced on Monday that he will go through the evaluation process but left open the possibility of returning to school.

Projected as a first-round prospect, Washington said in a release his decision followed discussions with his parents, family and Kentucky coach John Calipari.

“Leaving Kentucky won’t be easy,” Washington added, “but I am ready for the challenges ahead and know I am ready based on my experiences here in Lexington.”

Thank you BBN💙 pic.twitter.com/UDX9O24rdf

— Tyty Washington (@tytywashington3) April 6, 2022

Calipari added that Washington “is a play-making guard who has the ability to play on the ball or off and still impact the game in a variety of ways. We’ve had a number of players leave here and be successful at the next level who are in a similar mode as TyTy.”

League coaches and media members named Washington to the All-Southeastern Conference second team. He averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game while starting 29 of 31 contests. Washington also broke John Wall’s single-game school record for assists with 17 against Georgia.

Injuries sidelined him for three Southeastern Conference games, including two down the stretch as Kentucky (26-8, 14-4) finished third in the league. The Phoenix native scored just five points on 2-of-10 shooting in the second-seeded Wildcats’ 85-79 overtime upset loss to No. 15 Saint Peter’s in the NCAA Tournament East Region first round.