Bledsoe, Orton Staying in NBA Draft

Excerpt from KentuckySports.com:

The University of Kentucky basketball team officially lost two more players from this year's 35-3 Elite Eight team.

As expected, freshmen Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton have decided to remain in the NBA Draft and will hire agents. Bledsoe and Orton join fellow Wildcats freshmen John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins and junior Patrick Patterson in declaring for the NBA Draft, which will be held June 24 in New York City. All five Kentucky players are expected to be first-round picks.

Bledsoe couldn't be reached for comment but was attributed with the following quote in a UK release: "I never thought I'd be ready for the NBA after one year. I worked hard to be able to have this choice. Coach Cal pushed me to be the best I could be and I'm ready to take my game to the next level. I want to thank the fans for all their support this year. Why would anyone not want to come to Kentucky? I loved it."

Orton's father, Larry, said that leaving UK "was a tough decision" for his son, but added that Orton basically made up his mind to stay in the draft once he felt assured that he was going to be a first-round pick.

"It's just common sense," Larry Orton said. "Everything happened really late. But after talking to people and getting the information you need, it really wasn't a tough decision. He's not a dumb kid. He knows he's going to be a first-round pick. Otherwise you don't do it."