NBA-bound Monk details UK decision

Kentucky guard Malik Monk will enter the NBA Draft and hire an agent, the second Wildcats’ freshman in as many days to announce his departure after coming within seconds of reaching the Final Four.

Projected as an NBA lottery pick, Monk said in a statement Tuesday that he talked with family before making the decision many expected. He added, “As a little kid, these are words that I could only dream of saying.”

The 6-foot-3 Arkansas native who played at Bentonville High School was Kentucky’s top scorer at 19.8 points per game, highlighted by a school freshman record 47 in a 103-100 victory over North Carolina in the fall. Monk’s 754 points set a UK freshman record and rank fourth all-time for a single season in school history.

In a “thank you” note written by Monk for the website theplayerstribune.com, Monk explained why he chose Kentucky to play his one year of college basketball.

“[Coach John Calipari] told me that I’d be me,” Monk wrote. “No, really. That was it.

“‘I don’t see you as the next

anybody,’ [Calipari] said. ‘I see you as yourself. You’re Malik Monk. I can’t make you many promises — but if you come to Kentucky, I can promise you this: We’re going to find out who that is.

“Throughout our conversation, I don’t think Coach said ‘point guard’ once. I don’t think he said ‘shooting guard’ once. I don’t think he talked about other Kentucky players … I don’t think he talked about other ‘Cal guys’ … and, though he definitely could’ve, and I definitely would’ve been impressed, I don’t even think he name-dropped a single All-Star. Coach just told me that he wanted me to come to Kentucky — and that he wanted me to become the best possible version of myself.

“And that’s the moment when I knew for sure that I wanted to become a Wildcat.”

Monk, a consensus All-American selection and Associated Press SEC player and newcomer of the year, hit a late three-pointer to tie the South Regional final against North Carolina before the Wildcats lost 75-73 on Luke Maye’s last-second jumper.

Freshman point guard De’Aaron Fox announced Monday that he was entering the NBA Draft and hiring an agent.

AP/JAMES CRISP Kentucky guard Malik Monk (Lepanto/ Bentonville High), who set a school freshman record for points in a season with 754, is following his life-long dream of playing professional basketball by declaring for the NBA Draft.