“That is always the case (with fans). At the beginning of the year, I had no idea what I would do,” Knight said. “The way I was playing at the beginning of the year, I was not going to be able to leave. It is kind of a hard thing to do (leave UK). You come here and see what happens. The opportunity is here.”
Knight said he did not come to Kentucky with the goal of leaving after one year.
“You never really know if that will be. My goal was to come in and get better and compete for a national championship. I think I accomplished those things and this opportunity just came up at the end of the year,” Knight said.
Two other Wildcats — freshman Terrence Jones and junior DeAndre Liggins — also had their names in the draft but Knight said their situations did not influence his decision.
“Everyone is in a different situation,” Knight said. “You talk to them and see where their minds are at. Everyone has different family situations and schooling situations.”
Knight, who says he still has not hired an agent, says he did not talk to Wall for draft advice.
“I talked to John here and there basically about the season. Not so much about going pro,” Knight said.
“That is definitely a resource to use and I will continue to talk to him during the process."
Knight said there was no specific new information from the NBA combine at UK this week that surprised him.
“Just that I helped my stock, improved myself and solidified the position that I was predicted to go,” Knight said of the evaluation. “The last few weeks were really not that hectic. It (the combine) was not something I focused on. The main thing for me the past couple of weeks was working out, staying in shape and lifting. Making sure I was prepared for the combine and listening to things he (Calipari) was telling me.”
Knight also said a pending lockout similar to the one the NFL is experiencing did not impact his decision.
“Obviously there won’t be a season (if there is a lockout) or if there is, the season will be reduced,” Knight said. “Money lost and stuff like that affected my decision a little bit. But with the possibility of being a top 10 pick, you don’t get that opportunity all the time. It was something I had to take seriously.”
