Wall says he’s still unsure about turning pro

[Sooner Quick]

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=jn-wall040110

INDIANAPOLIS – Kentucky point guard John Wall told reporters Thursday that he hasn’t decided whether to enter the NBA draft.

He may have given coach John Calipari a different story.
John Wall insists he hasn't made up his mind yet.
(Chris Chambers / Getty Images)

Speaking during Thursday’s Rupp Award ceremony at the Downtown Marriott – where Wall was honored as the nation’s top player – Calipari made it sound as if Wall had played his last game as a Wildcat.

“He wants to be the first player who stayed only one year to get his college degree,” Calipari told a roomful of about 200 guests. “He’s a year-and-a-half into it right now.”
Wall, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in this summer’s draft, indicated after the ceremony that Calipari’s comments were premature. He said he would make an announcement about his future plans “in the next week or two.”

“It may seem like any easy decision,” Wall said, “but college is a great experience. I didn’t think it’d be this fun.”

Wall was the leading scorer for a Kentucky squad that went 35-2 before being upset by West Virginia last week in the Elite Eight. He said being in Indianapolis this week is tough because he feels as if he and his teammates should still be playing.

“Our goal was to win a national championship,” he said. “That’s what we wanted. It was just one of those nights when we didn’t make our shots and the other team played good. They had a great strategy and they stopped us.”

Wall is one of five Kentucky players expected to leave school early for the NBA draft. Freshman Daniel Orton has already announced his plans to turn pro. Classmates Eric Bledsoe and DeMarcus Cousins are expected to follow suit along with junior Patrick Patterson.

“I’ve always encouraged kids to put their names in the draft and explore,” Calipari said. “This team was so good that it elevated every player. If we were a bad team, they would’ve looked bad as individual players.

“The other thing is that we had a group that wanted to be coached. They wanted to change and play differently. Anybody that saw them from their hometown said, ‘I can’t believe it’s the same guy.’ From John Wall to Eric Bledsoe to DeMarcus to Daniel … everyone said, ‘I can’t believe that’s the same guy.’

“Now there are opportunities there for them. I’ll never hold a player back.”

Wall said it’s likely that he, Cousins and Bledsoe will all make the same decisions.

“When we’re in the [dorm room] together we ask each other, ‘Do you want to go or do you want to stay?’ ” Wall said. “That shows you how we’re all brothers. We’re sticking together because we all wanted to win. We came up short.”

Even if Wall decides to enter the draft – and let’s face it, it’s almost a certainty that he will – he said he’ll attend classes at Kentucky for the rest of the semester.

“I’m finishing out the semester,” he said. “No matter if I leave or stay, I’m going to finish it out. I don’t want to make it harder for me to come back and get my degree. I promised my dad before he died that I was going to go to college and get a degree. So if I leave I’m going to make sure to come back and get it.”

 

[stoops4pres]

I love his game... Wish UK would have made the Final 4, would've loved to see him on the biggest stage.

 

[Sooner Quick]

Its refreshing to me to see a kid of that caliber even hinting at coming back. Some will say he is just blowing smoke, and he very well could be, but to even suggest he is thinking of coming back is refreshing to see in the day of 1 and done players.

 

[Sooner79]

“The other thing is that we had a group that wanted to be coached. They wanted to change and play differently. Anybody that saw them from their hometown said, ‘I can’t believe it’s the same guy.’ From John Wall to Eric Bledsoe to DeMarcus to Daniel … everyone said, ‘I can’t believe that’s the same guy.’

Shocking....absolutely shocking!

 

[seniorsooner]

I got some
ocean front property
in Arizona
from my front porch you can see the sea
I got some
ocean front property in Arizona
and if you'll buy that I'll throw the golden gate in free

 

[Cheno]

Everyone of Calipari's comments are made with the next recruit in the wings just an ear shot away. Slime ball.

 

[Sooner Quick]

I got some
ocean front property
in Arizona
from my front porch you can see the sea
I got some
ocean front property in Arizona
and if you'll buy that I'll throw the golden gate in free

I'm not saying he is going to stay, especially when he sees all those $$$ being thrown his way. But to even come public saying that is nice to hear.

 

[bgrch1350]

It probably is a tough decision for him since he made a promise to his dad. That at least shows that his heart is in the right place.

On another note...I don't think I can remember a team that had 5 projected 1st rounders in one year and they didn't make the final 4.

 

[skyvue]

He's probably just concerned about going head-to-head with TMG in the draft -- there's no telling which player would get picked first, and I'm not sure Wall's ego could handle hearing Mason-Griffin's name called first.

 

[seniorsooner]

lol

 

[Sawyer]

I just became a John Wall fan. I really hope he stays one more year (even though there's probably no way he actually does).

What most of these guys don't realize is that they can NEVER go back and be a kid again. Money can buy a lot of things, but it can't buy another year of your youth. As soon as he declares for the draft, he's an adult with a job working with grown men. It's difficult to understand when you're still just 19-20 years old, but he will look back 20 years from now and either wish he stayed longer or be glad he did (depending on which way he goes).

Now... if a guy genuinely dislikes school, he should probably move on. But for anyone who is having a good time in college, stay as long as you can.

 

[Sooner Quick]

He's probably just concerned about going head-to-head with TMG in the draft -- there's no telling which player would get picked first, and I'm not sure Wall's ego could handle hearing Mason-Griffin's name called first.

:ez-laugh: