After completing just 1 season at the University of Kentucky and their exciting run in the NCAA tournament, freshmen Julius Randle and James Young were selected to join the NBA last Thursday night.
Standing at 6-foot-9, power forward Julius Randle managed to lead the nation with 24 double double’s this past season; which is why it came as no surprise when he was selected 7th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Although Randle, once projected to go in the top 5, slid to 7th, he appeared to still be very confident in his ability to compete with the best players in the NBA. When asked about his being a lower pick, he said “Teams that did not pick me up earlier in the draft will regret their decision”.
Randle will head off to the L.A. Lakers to play alongside one of the best players in the NBA, Kobe Bryant.
Regarded as one of the best shooting guards in the NCAA this past season, James Young was hoping to go as a lottery pick(top 14 players), despite the fact he was projected to go in the top 25.
Although he didn’t go in the top 14, he went 17th overall, which is more than most 18 year olds can say.
With Young’s ability to score points in the paint and attack the rim, it will be interesting to see if he can be as productive as he was for the Wildcats.
Being that these two players come from a very well-known and successful basketball program; there will be much anticipation for the 2014-2015 NBA season, to see how they stack up against top talent.