[Strikeout King]

Kentucky freshman forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will enter the 2012 NBA draft after the Wildcats' season ends, multiple sources told ESPN.com on Thursday.

"He hopes he'll be able to announce right after they win the NCAA championship," one source said. "But even if they don't win it all, he's coming. He knows he's going to be a top-5 pick. He can't pass that up."

Back in early March, Kidd-Gilchrist told reporters that he would forgo the lures of the draft and stay in school.

"I'm graduating here," he said then. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying at Kentucky."

The 6-foot-7 Kidd-Gilchrist is averaging 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game.

"He's the type of kid that you always want on your team," one NBA general manager said. "Coaches love him, his teammates love him and he does all the little things that matter on the court. He cares about winning and that's it. I doubt he ever looks at a box score."





http://espn.go.com/nba/draft2012/story/_...ource-says