Sacha Killeya-Jones to transfer from Kentucky Wildcats Basketball

Sacha Killeya-Jones is leaving the Kentucky Wildcats. He announced the news Monday on Twitter.

“The past two years at Kentucky have been an amazing journey, and I want to thank all my coaches, teammates and fans who made it possible,” Sacha wrote. “After much deliberation with my family, I have decided that it is in my best interest to ask for my release and explore other opportunities at this time.

“Thank you for your support through this process!”

The former five-star recruit from the 2016 class has spent most of his UK on the bench fighting for limited minutes. He briefly became one of UK’s key big men in the rotation early in the 2017-18 season, but he lost his spot once Jarred Vanderbilt was healthy.

That led to Sacha rarely seeing the floor in February. But once Vanderbilt went down with another injury. Sacha found himself getting significant minutes during UK’s run through the SEC Tournament and into the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

But with Vanderbilt, PJ Washington and Nick Richards all possibly returning to join E.J. Montgomery in the frontcourt, there was going to be a real chance that Sacha went right back to riding the bench as a junior next season.

It’s probably not a coincidence this comes just hours after UK landed a pledge from five-star power forward E.J. Montgomery. Perhaps Montgomery committed to UK knowing Sacha was about to transfer and make it easier for him to take on a big role next season.

Or, perhaps Sacha is just now reacting to the news that Mongeromy will come to UK and add to what’s already shaping up to be a crowded frontcourt next season.

Regardless, it’s sad to see Sacha leaving Lexington, so here’s to hoping he finds greener pastures elsewhere.

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