John Calipari: "TyTy (Washington's) best days as a basketball player are in front of him"
TyTy Washington is off to the NBA, putting his name in the draft and signing with an agent to officially end his time in Lexington. The freshman guard announced his decision Wednesday afternoon.
“First and foremost, I’d like to thank God for the opportunities He’s provided me and my family,” Washington said. “To Big Blue Nation, I’d like to express my gratitude to all of you for embracing me and my family like your own this past year. From Coach Cal, to everyone involved with Kentucky basketball, I can’t thank you enough for the support. The experience and the knowledge I can carry forward from my time here at Kentucky will help me be a better man and player moving forward.
“The fans have supported me through the ups and downs of this past season, and I am proud to say I will always be a member of Big Blue Nation,” Washington said. “After discussing my options with Coach Cal, my parents and family, I’ve decided to make myself eligible for the upcoming NBA Draft. Leaving Kentucky won’t be easy, but I am ready for the challenges ahead and know I am ready based on my experiences here in Lexington. Thank you again to the fans, the coaches, all the supporters of Kentucky Basketball and most importantly the people who helped me get here, my mom and my dad.”
Washington finished his lone season at Kentucky averaging 12.5 points, 3.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 45.1% from the field and 35.0% from 3-point range. He earned unanimous All-Southeastern Conference Second Team honors and was also a five-time SEC Freshman of the Week selection, a semifinalist for the Jerry West Award and a finalist for the Kyle Macy Award honoring the nation’s best freshman.
A string of bad injury luck hurt his momentum and overall production to close out the year, never returning to full strength after spraining his ankle at Auburn on Jan. 22. At his best, though, he was a brilliant three-level scorer who was comfortable playing the one or the two. He always controlled the pace and was never sped up as a primary ball-handler.
It’s why John Calipari believes Washington’s best playing days are ahead of him.
“TyTy is a play-making guard who has the ability to play on the ball or off and still impact the game in a variety of ways,” Calipari said. “We’ve had a number of players leave here and be successful at the next level who are in a similar mode as TyTy. I’m excited for TyTy and his family because I know with his work ethic, his ability to play within himself and allow the game to come to him, that he will have the opportunity to be another one of our guys to find success in that league.
“TyTy’s best days as a basketball player are in front of him and he and his family know that they have my full support as he chases his dreams.”
Washington finished the year with five 20-point games and finished the year first in the SEC and 31st nationally with a 2.43 assist-to-turnover ratio. He hit multiple 3-pointers in 10 games and dished out at least three assists in 21 games.
Now, the 6-foot-3 guard is taking his talents to the NBA.
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