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Immanuel Quickley declares for the NBA Draft

The reigning SEC Player of the Year has his eyes on the next level.

NCAA Basketball: Florida at Kentucky Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Immanuel Quickley has officially entered his name in the NBA Draft, he announced on Twitter Monday morning.

This has been the growing expectation in recent weeks, despite some early optimism Quickley could return for a junior season. However, he is entering his name in the draft and made it clear that he is not just testing the waters. We have seen Immanuel Quickley in Kentucky blue for the last time.

I have heard for weeks that Quickley had always intended on leaving Kentucky after his second year, and you have to think that his success this season has made this decision a no-brainer for him, especially now that he’s being projected in the early second-round range in several mock drafts.

Quickley led Kentucky in scoring this season with 16.1 points per game, and after a slow start, still managed to shoot 42.8% from behind the three-point line. He was also second on the team in steals and was third in the country in free-throw percentage at 92.3%.

No player has ever led Kentucky in scoring OR won SEC Player of the Year and returned to Kentucky the following season under John Calipari. Quickley plans to leave Kentucky while his stock is high, and he is now being projected as a potential mid second round draft selection.

Quickley is a big reason that this was a special season, and his story has been an extremely fun one to watch. Now we all shift our focus to NBA decision-makers and make sure they know to Pick Quick.

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