Julius Randle announces he will enter 2014 NBA Draft

Students+try+on+costumes+for+the+production+of+Joseph+and+the+Amazing+Technicolor+Dream+Coat+in+the+costume+shop+on+the+Fine+Arts+Building+in+Lexington%2C+Ky.%2C+on+Tuesday%2C+April+15%2C+2014.+Photo+by+Emily+Wuetcher

Students try on costumes for the production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat in the costume shop on the Fine Arts Building in Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday, April 15, 2014. Photo by Emily Wuetcher

By Nick Gray | UK basketball beat writer

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He enrolled at UK last fall as a highly touted recruit, his mind pointed toward two goals — a national championship and the NBA.

Freshman forward Julius Randle fell six points short of a national championship, but pushed one step closer to his other goal on Tuesday.

Randle announced at a news conference at Memorial Coliseum that he would enter the NBA Draft after a record-breaking freshman campaign that helped lead the Cats to the National Championship game earlier this month.

He announced his decision, which had been reported by media outlets for over a week, after discussions with his family, mentor Jeff Webster, and head coach John Calipari, who reassured Randle that he was prepared for the NBA.

“(Calipari) told me that he felt like I was ready. It was up to me whether I wanted to come back or not,” Randle said. “He was a big supporter for me throughout this process. He put me in a position to be able to declare and I’m happy for that opportunity.”

Randle said he pondered coming back to Lexington for another year to chase a national championship that was for his taking just 15 days ago, but his personal goals won out.

“I know I came one game short of winning a national championship. We did as a team,” Randle said. “But everything we went though this year is just an experience that I’ll never forget. That alone was enough, kept me at peace to leave.”

Randle said he has not signed with an agent and will discuss options with his family.

Among those in attendance were his mother, Carolyn Kyles, and Webster. Players and coaches from his AAU team in Texas were also in attendance Tuesday along with UK teammates Jon Hood, Alex Poythress, Tod Lanter and Willie Cauley-Stein, who rode into the room on his motorized wheelchair.

Randle is the 12th player to play one season at UK and move onto the NBA Draft since John Calipari became the head coach in 2009, and the second one from this season’s team. James Young declared for the draft last week.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has publicly discussed a change to the one-and-done rule, which would include extending by a year the time players must spend in college before going to the NBA.

A highly ranked recruit such as Randle could have considered jumping from high school to the NBA before the one-and-done rule was implemented after the 2005-06 season. The rule, inadvertently or not, allowed him to make memories that Randle said he would not forget for a long time.

“I’ll grow old one day,” Randle said. “And I will be able to tell my children and grandchildren about things I did when I was 19.”