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Davion Mintz is returning to the Kentucky Wildcats, he announced Thursday.
Mintz had the option to come back and play another season due to the extra year of eligibility granted due to COVID-19, so he’ll be a sixth-year senior in 2021-22, as well as a veteran leader for a Kentucky team almost certain to be in the top 5-10 range of preseason polls.
Mintz, a 6-3, 196-pound guard from Charlotte (NC), came to Kentucky with medium-sized expectations. He was a transfer from Creighton who sat out the 2019-20 season due to a preseason injury. He was looked at as a backup point guard that could potentially provide some veteran leadership to the Wildcats’ young roster.
But within a month of the beginning of the season, it became clear that Mintz was the most stable and productive player on the team.
By the time the season ended, Mintz ended up being Kentucky’s leading scorer, putting up up 288 total points compared to BJ Boston’s 287. Mintz also led the team in assists with 3.1 per game and shot nearly 38% from behind the three-point line.
By any measure, Mintz surpassed all expectations that anyone had for him coming into the year and will be a much-needed veteran presence next season, regardless of whether he’s starting or coming off the bench.
Given the flexibility with the NBA’s draft process, Mintz was able to declare for the draft for evaluation processes and then make a decision. It would appear he got the feedback he needed to make a final decision to return for one more season of college basketball.
In addition, the ability for Mintz to profit off of NIL, which he’s already taking advantage of, undouutebly helped away him to stay in college for another season since he he can ball and make money at the same time, which you can read more about here.
Check out this past season’s highlights of Mintz rocking Kentucky blue.
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