Kentucky Wildcats freshman Jarred Vanderbilt entered his name in the NBA draft on Friday, but said he did not plan on signing with an agent.
"This season wasn't easy for me," Vanderbilt said in a news release. "God works in mysterious ways and presented me with a number of challenges to overcome. I believe I became a better man and player because of them, but it's also made me think about my future and what's best for me.
"At the end of the day, my goal has always been to make it to the NBA. I knew Coach [John Calipari] and the staff would challenge me and prepare me to make that step better than anyone else."
Vanderbilt played in just 14 games this past season; he suffered a left foot injury in September and then missed the SEC and NCAA tournaments with an ankle injury. While on the court, Vanderbilt was one of the most efficient rebounders in the country, grabbing double-digit boards on five occasions despite averaging just 17.0 minutes.
He averaged 5.9 points and 7.9 rebounds in his 14 games.
"I know I have more to my game to show, but now I've got to figure out if the time is right for me to do it at the next level or if I would be better to return to school," Vanderbilt said. "... This wasn't an easy decision, but I want to use this process to get an evaluation from the NBA and see where I'm at. I appreciate the support of the staff and the Big Blue Nation while I work through this."
Vanderbilt, a five-star prospect in the 2017 class, is the sixth Kentucky player to declare for the 2018 NBA draft. Freshman PJ Washington and sophomore Wenyen Gabriel did not sign with agents, meaning they can return to Lexington along with Vanderbilt. Freshmen Hamidou Diallo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kevin Knox all signed with agents.
Kentucky is bringing in the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in the country, with five-star prospects Keldon Johnson, E.J. Montgomery and Immanuel Quickley, as well as four-star guard Tyler Herro. Five-star commit Ashton Hagans is also expected to reclassify into the 2018 class and enroll at Kentucky next season.