Deandre Liggins

With Sunday’s deadline approaching for players to either stay in the NBA draft or pull out, Kentucky junior DeAndre Liggins apparently still is not sure what he’ll do. “I don’t think he knows yet what he wants to do,” said Jasmine Horton, Liggins’ fiancee. “I am sure he does want to finish his education, but he I also think he wants the opportunity to go pro while he his doing so well. So much is going to be based on what the (NBA) scouts tell him. His coach (UK assistant Kenny Payne)

No matter how difficult the tough times were for DeAndre Liggins at Kentucky, they paled in comparison to things he saw and endured growing up in Chicago. “I grew up in a rough neighborhood,” said Liggins, who decided last Sunday to bypass his final year of eligibility at Kentucky to keep his name in the NBA draft. “I lived in projects all my life. I saw all the bad stuff and negativity. I have been through everything. But I matured. I made basketball my life, and it changed my life dramatically.

One of three University of Kentucky players who declared for the NBA Draft has opted to return next season. Freshman Terrence Jones decided to stay, while DeAndre Liggins and Brandon Knight decided to remain in the draft this weekend. Knight announced his plans Friday, while Jones made his announcement on Saturday. Liggins waited until the last minute and made his plans known Sunday night. “Coach (John Calipari) encouraged me to come back for my senior season, but based on the feedback I got from NBA personnel, I felt it was in the best interests of me and family to stay in the draft,” Liggins said.

Former Kentucky basketball player DeAndre Liggins is going to have a busy weekend of appearances, including one in Danville on Saturday at Wildcat Warehouse on Hustonville Road. The tour is organized by Nationofblue.com, an internet site devoted to University of Kentucky athletics. Liggins has already visited several eastern Kentucky sites, including Hazard, Pikeville, Paintsville and Maysville. “We had a very good turnout at them all,” said Nationofblue.com's Scott Anderson.

HOUSTON — Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun took exception Sunday to comments Kentucky coach John Calipari made Saturday night after the Huskies eliminated UK 56-55. Calipari indicated that he thought the Wildcats did a “great job” defending UConn star Kemba Walker, who had 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds. He was 6-for-15 shooting, including only 1-for-5 from 3-point range, and also had four turnovers while playing all 40 minutes. That was a much better defensive job than UK did on Walker in Maui back in November.

Brandon Knight knows exactly how Kentucky freshman Marquis Teague must feel as he prepares to lead the UK¿offense for coach John Calipari, who has sent his last four point guards - Tyreke Evans, Derrick Rose, John Wall and Knight - to the NBA as first-round draft picks. “The biggest thing is I would say is just do what you do best. You can't worry about what happened before you or who came before you,” Knight said when asked what advice he might have for Teague. “The main thing is to focus on your team and your situation.

DeAndre Liggins quickly admits he never thought there would be a day when Kentucky fans would line up and pay $15 or more to get his autograph. “I never thought that. After my freshman year I thought I was going to be leaving. It turned 360 degrees. I am just happy I am here and have a chance to do this,” Liggins said Saturday during an autograph stop at Danville's Wildcat Wearhouse, one of six weekend signing sessions he had across the state. “It has been great. It feels like a camp setting everywhere where people see me. I am just happy to see my fans again and just feel so special that they come out to see me.” Liggins went from thinking he might be asked to transfer when coach John Calipari arrived after Liggins' tumultuous freshman season under then coach Billy Gillispie to becoming a defensive stopper and key player on last year's Final Four team.

When John Calipari took the job at Kentucky, many insisted that he release DeAndre Liggins from his scholarship. “They asked me to get rid of him,” the Kentucky coach said Sunday. “It wasn’t that he would leave, it was get rid of him.” During his freshman season with the Wildcats, Liggins had a troubled relationship with former coach Billy Gillispie and was often hot-tempered. However, Calipari, who recruited Liggins when he was coach at Memphis, knew the talent that lay beneath the surface and didn’t give up on the Kentucky guard.

HOUSTON – The rumors have been swirling since Kentucky lost to Connecticut in the Final Four last Saturday at the Reliant Center. The biggest question is whether or not freshmen Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones will return next season with one of the top recruiting classes set to arrive on campus this fall. The answer to that question largely depends on whether or not the NBA’s owners will force a lockout and adopt new rules as part of a new collective bargaining agreement. The new set of rules could possibly require players to remain in college for at least two years before declaring for the draft.

Sometimes there are moments that make you appreciate that there really are still random acts of kindness that make our world a better place to live. Saturday I got to see one of those special moments at the Danville Wildcat Wearhouse during an autograph signing session by DeAndre Liggins, a starter on Kentucky's Final Four team last season. It cost $15 to get an autograph - or more depending on what someone may have wanted to purchase to have autographed. One woman, who did not want to be identified, came into the store and bought a blue and white basketball she had Liggins autograph for her father.

Brandon Knight knows exactly how Kentucky freshman Marquis Teague must feel as he prepares to lead the UK¿offense for coach John Calipari, who has sent his last four point guards - Tyreke Evans, Derrick Rose, John Wall and Knight - to the NBA as first-round draft picks. “The biggest thing is I would say is just do what you do best. You can't worry about what happened before you or who came before you,” Knight said when asked what advice he might have for Teague. “The main thing is to focus on your team and your situation.

DeAndre Liggins quickly admits he never thought there would be a day when Kentucky fans would line up and pay $15 or more to get his autograph. “I never thought that. After my freshman year I thought I was going to be leaving. It turned 360 degrees. I am just happy I am here and have a chance to do this,” Liggins said Saturday during an autograph stop at Danville's Wildcat Wearhouse, one of six weekend signing sessions he had across the state. “It has been great. It feels like a camp setting everywhere where people see me. I am just happy to see my fans again and just feel so special that they come out to see me.” Liggins went from thinking he might be asked to transfer when coach John Calipari arrived after Liggins' tumultuous freshman season under then coach Billy Gillispie to becoming a defensive stopper and key player on last year's Final Four team.

DeAndre Liggins did not go into last season thinking it would be his last one at Kentucky. What he did know was that he was going to have a chance to play more for coach John Calipari and that if he worked hard enough his game should improve. It did, and he eventually put his name into the NBA draft instead of returning to UK for his senior season. He was drafted in the second round by the Orlando Magic and is now waiting for the NBA lockout to end. “Probably a week after the season I thought about it (going to the NBA)

Sometimes there are moments that make you appreciate that there really are still random acts of kindness that make our world a better place to live. Saturday I got to see one of those special moments at the Danville Wildcat Wearhouse during an autograph signing session by DeAndre Liggins, a starter on Kentucky's Final Four team last season. It cost $15 to get an autograph - or more depending on what someone may have wanted to purchase to have autographed. One woman, who did not want to be identified, came into the store and bought a blue and white basketball she had Liggins autograph for her father.

Former Kentucky basketball player DeAndre Liggins is going to have a busy weekend of appearances, including one in Danville on Saturday at Wildcat Warehouse on Hustonville Road. The tour is organized by Nationofblue.com, an internet site devoted to University of Kentucky athletics. Liggins has already visited several eastern Kentucky sites, including Hazard, Pikeville, Paintsville and Maysville. “We had a very good turnout at them all,” said Nationofblue.com's Scott Anderson.

No matter how difficult the tough times were for DeAndre Liggins at Kentucky, they paled in comparison to things he saw and endured growing up in Chicago. “I grew up in a rough neighborhood,” said Liggins, who decided last Sunday to bypass his final year of eligibility at Kentucky to keep his name in the NBA draft. “I lived in projects all my life. I saw all the bad stuff and negativity. I have been through everything. But I matured. I made basketball my life, and it changed my life dramatically.

One of three University of Kentucky players who declared for the NBA Draft has opted to return next season. Freshman Terrence Jones decided to stay, while DeAndre Liggins and Brandon Knight decided to remain in the draft this weekend. Knight announced his plans Friday, while Jones made his announcement on Saturday. Liggins waited until the last minute and made his plans known Sunday night. “Coach (John Calipari) encouraged me to come back for my senior season, but based on the feedback I got from NBA personnel, I felt it was in the best interests of me and family to stay in the draft,” Liggins said.

Sensing that he may never have done more to impress NBA personnel than he did during his junior season, Kentucky’s DeAndre Liggins has decided to keep his name in the NBA draft and not return to UK for his final season. Liggins had until midnight Sunday to make his decision. Earlier in the day UK officials noted Liggins had made his decision and would hold a 2 p.m. press conference today to reveal his plans. However, about 10 p.m. Liggins had UK issue a release stating that he would not be back at Kentucky even though coach John Calipari had advised him to return.

With Sunday’s deadline approaching for players to either stay in the NBA draft or pull out, Kentucky junior DeAndre Liggins apparently still is not sure what he’ll do. “I don’t think he knows yet what he wants to do,” said Jasmine Horton, Liggins’ fiancee. “I am sure he does want to finish his education, but he I also think he wants the opportunity to go pro while he his doing so well. So much is going to be based on what the (NBA) scouts tell him. His coach (UK assistant Kenny Payne)

Could DeAndre Liggins really have played himself into being a first-round NBA draft pick? Apparently it could happen, something that no one in the Final Four media thought was even a possibility when Liggins acknowledged in Houston after Kentucky lost to Connecticut that he wasn’t sure if he would return to UK for his senior year or not. Liggins and freshman teammates Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones, both projected as lottery picks, are...