The Kentucky Wildcats lost a number of players to the NBA Draft and now the program is dealing with another loss. Charles Matthews announced on Wednesday morning that he will be transferring from Lexington.
“I want to thank the coaches, my teammates and the Big Blue Nation for all of their support this season,” Matthews said. “I gained great experience during my freshman year at Kentucky. This was a difficult decision for me, but at the end of the day I felt like it was in my best interest to explore other options. I appreciate the support Coach Cal has given me in making this decision and the commitment the coaching staff made to me for this past season and beyond. Kentucky will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Matthews averaged just 1.7 points in 10 minutes per game during his true freshman season. He joined the Wildcats as a member of their 2015 recruiting class and likely would not have seen much playing time due to players like De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk joining the team this fall.
“The hardest thing as a coach is to lose a player that you really want to coach,” head coach John Calipari said. “In Charles’ case, I believe he is going to be a productive college player who has the ability to play at the next level. I know Charles’ best basketball is ahead of him, and while I’m a saddened to see him go, I support his decision and will help in any way I can.
Charles Matthews becomes the fifth player to transfer out of Kentucky since the end of the 2015-16 season. He will have to sit out the 2016-17 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports