LEXINGTON, Ky. — Keion Brooks plans to enter his name in this year's NBA draft while retaining the option of playing for Kentucky next season, the three-year UK player posted on social media Monday.
Brooks does not plan to hire an agent, although he can sign with an NCAA-certified agent to help navigate the pre-draft process and still play for Kentucky next season, the school said in a news release.
The NCAA deadline for withdrawing from this year's NBA draft is 11:59 p.m. June 1.
"First off, I would like to thank God for blessing me and putting me in this position," Brooks said in posting his decision to enter the draft. "Secondly, I would like to thank all my teammates and coaches along the way for helping me prepare and pushing me to be the best player I can be. With that being said, I am looking forward to the next chapter and I will enter my name into the NBA draft while maintaining my college eligibility. I appreciate all the love and support as I work toward chasing my dream of playing in the NBA."
UK's news release included support from UK coach John Calipari.
"The rules in place for these young men to make decisions are there for a reason, and Keion is utilizing it exactly the way he should," Calipari's statement read. "He has made strides during his time here and has continued to improve every year. His thoughtfulness and maturity — not only as a player but as a man — will allow him to go through this process and make the best decision for his future.
"He and his family know they have my full support with whatever they decide."
Earlier this offseason, Dontaie Allen announced he was entering the NCAA's transfer portal.
In the 2021-22 season, Brooks averaged 10.8 points and 4.4 rebounds. In shooting with 49.1% accuracy while making only 7 of 30 3-point shots, he reminded basketball followers of the value of an offensive tool that has fallen out of favor: the mid-range jump shot.
While teammates Oscar Tshiebwe, Sahvir Wheeler and TyTy Washington had starring roles in the 2021-22 season, Brooks took center stage in the marquee game at Kansas on Jan. 29. He scored a career-high 27 points to lead Kentucky to a rousing 80-62 victory in Lawrence. It was the most points scored by a UK player in a road victory against a top five opponent since Fred Cowan scored 27 at No. 5 LSU on Feb. 14, 1980.
"The way he came out tonight was unbelievable ...," Tshiebwe said of Brooks. "And I want him to keep playing like that every night. That's how we're going to be a tough team if everybody steps up like that."
Brooks described himself as a star among stars.
"We have a lot of guys who can hurt you," he said. "Tonight was my night. But other nights it's going to be somebody else's night. We just have to feed the hot hand."
Brooks said he took advantage of Tshiebwe drawing Kansas defenders, thus creating opportunities for teammates.
"Rightfully so," Brooks said. "Oscar, in my opinion, is the national player of the year. I would give a lot of my defense to stopping him. ...
"I'm knowing they will rotate to him. So, I've got to be aggressive. They're going to leave me at times, so I've got to knock down those shots."
At one point of the Kansas game, Brooks scored 15 straight points for Kentucky. That one-man tsunami ended with Kentucky ahead 68-50 with less than nine minutes remaining.
When asked if he'd ever scored that many consecutive points for his team, Brooks reminded reporters that he had been the star on youth and high school teams.
His father, Keion Brooks Sr., scored 1,766 points playing for Wright State in the 1990s. The elder Brooks is in Wright State's athletics Hall of Fame.
Father helped his son prepare for a basketball future by setting him in front of a mirror and asking him questions.
"That definitely helped me and prepared me as I got postgame interviews and pregame interviews," Brooks said, "and basically just addressing the media as a whole.
"It just allowed me to become more comfortable speaking in front of people. ... I always wanted to be good at speaking and answering questions because my favorite player is LeBron James. I feel like he always handles himself in a great manner when he's answering questions. I wanted to emulate that. I feel l like I'm doing a pretty good job so far."
Brooks was a team leader off the court as well as on. He played a prominent role in a video the team made before the 2021-22 season promoting racial equity and social justice.
He also served on the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Player Development Coalition in the 2020-21 season and the Southeastern Conference's Council on Racial Equity and Social Justice this past season.
