Kentucky mens basketball forward Chris Livingston announced he is entering the 2023 NBA Draft while keeping his collegiate eligibility on Wednesday.

The six-foot-six-inch freshman from Akron, Ohio, started in 26 games for the Wildcats in the 2022-23 season, averaging 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

“Basketball means everything to me, and it was a dream of mine to be a part of an incredible basketball program like the University of Kentucky,” Livingston said in his announcement on Instagram. “Thank you to Big Blue Nation, my teammates and all the coaches and staff for your support.”

Livingston came to Kentucky as a consensus five-star prospect and a McDonald’s All American, joining players like Cason Wallace and Adou Thiero in the fifth-ranked recruiting class of 2022 according to 24/7 Sports.

During the 2022-23 season Livingston shot 43% from the field and 31% from beyond the arc.

After a 12-point-10-rebound performance against No. 10 Tennessee on Feb. 18, which was his first career double-double, Livingston was named SEC Freshman of the Week.

Once the season came to a close it became a guessing match for Kentucky fans whether or not the freshman would return for another year or declare for the draft.

“It’s only up from here,” he said in his announcement post.

Livingston was the fourth Kentucky player to enter the draft and the second to do so while maintaining his eligibility after former Wooden Award winner Oscar Tshiebwe. Wallace and Jacob Toppin were the other two players to enter the draft.