LEXINGTON, Ky. — UK's leading scorer from 2020-21, Davion Mintz, will return to school for his final year of eligibility.
Mintz has decided to opt out of the NBA draft process ahead of the July 7th NCAA deadline.
“First of all, I want to thank everyone for the support they have provided me the last couple of months while I pursued my dream of playing professionally,” Mintz said. “I really appreciate the support from my coaches, my teammates and my family while I went through this process. I wanted to give it a real shot and I feel like I did that. I know that I am ready and closer to my ultimate goal of playing in the NBA.
“Having said that, my heart has guided me back to Kentucky for one more year. I want another season on the national stage to prove that I am ready to play at the highest level. I can’t wait to get back to Lexington with my teammates and experience the full effect of Big Blue Nation. It’s time to get back to work.”
Mintz’s return bolsters what was already shaping up to be a loaded 2021-22 roster and will officially make this the most experienced team of what will be the 13th season of the Calipari era.
“I am so happy for Davion because he was able to explore all of his options and decided to come back to a place that he loves,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “He is one of the most appreciative players I have coached in my time here. I said to his parents after last season, ‘I can coach him for the next 10 years.’ He is that kind of person, player and leader. Our team is different than last season and there is more competition, but there is no question that Davion makes us better. He improved so much from the start of last season to the end and I can’t wait to see that continued growth in his second year with us.”
Production wise, it will also be among the most prolific returning teams of the Calipari era. Mintz led Kentucky in scoring, 3-point shooting, and assists last season. And with him back in the fold, Kentucky will return 42.1% of its minutes, 41.9% of its scoring, 39.0% of the rebounds, 42.4%% of the assists, and 60.6% of the 3-pointers from a season ago.
Mintz began his career at Creighton, appearing in 97 career games with 79 starts for the Bluejays.
