A return to Kentucky possible for young star
While many NBA players are headed overseas this fall as the NBA lockout intensifies, Wizards guard John Wall is considering heading back to school at Kentucky. But there is a catch.
Wildcats coach John Calipari tweeted recently that Wall and two other former Kentucky players, Boston guard Rajon Rondo and Los Angeles Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe, planned to enroll in school if the lockout continues.
Wall’s adviser and representative Brian Clifton confirmed those intentions but said Wall will become a student again only “if it’s absolutely certain that he can finish the semester.”
“He did very well his freshman year,” Clifton said. “He’s got a high GPA, has done some good work and doesn’t want to compromise that by being in and out and only half-heartedly commit to being a student.”
Clifton said Wall has some “other obligations” and there is always a chance the labor impasse is resolved. Fellow Wizards draft class member Trevor Booker agreed last week to play for Bnei HaSharon in Israel this season, reportedly with an out clause if the lockout ends.
In his first NBA season, Wall averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds. Since it ended, he has crisscrossed the nation, showing up in summer league games from Charlotte, N.C., to Baltimore and Seattle to Los Angeles. The 20-year-old point guard couldn’t immediately be reached because he is back out on the West Coast this week.
With the summer circuit winding down, Wall could consider settling back in Washington or back home to Raleigh, close to his family. But Lexington remains the front-runner even if he does not become a student again. According to a report, Wall is expected there next week to be a part of a game between Team Kentucky, a group of former Wildcats, and the Dominican Republic national team, which Calipari is coaching.
Wall told Sports Illustrated in an interview during his lone season at Kentucky that he finished his first semester with a 3.2 grade-point average, the highest among Wildcats starters.
“I would absolutely love to see John back in Lexington,” Clifton said. “It makes more sense in terms of him being able to do the most with his time.”
