After two seasons at Kentucky, Sacha Killeya-Jones elected to pursue other opportunities, choosing to transfer to NC State to play for Kevin Keatts. However, the talented junior was forced to take his redshirt year in 2018-19 and, before ever playing for the Wolfpack, Killeya-Jones announced on Thursday evening that he will “begin the immediate pursuit of a professional basketball career.”
https://twitter.com/SKJ/status/1101288480414539776
At this time, it is unknown as to what Killeya-Jones will be doing between now and the NBA Draft in June. Beyond that, Killeya-Jones is far from a guarantee to be drafted after appearing for less than 600 minutes of college basketball across two seasons and, with that in mind, many were surprised to see his announcement.
However, it is important to note that Killeya-Jones could certainly pursue non-NBA opportunities and he is an intriguing prospect in many ways. The 6’11 forward was a consensus top-25 national recruit in the Class of 2016, choosing Kentucky over a litany of offers. Though he hasn’t showcased all of the talent that made him a five-star prospect, Killeya-Jones is a player to closely monitor in the future, even as he operates outside of the traditional college system.
This is certainly a blow for NC State moving forward but, on the bright side for Keatts and his staff, this news comes in late February instead of during the summer before the season in which Killeya-Jones was projected to play in Raleigh.
