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Julius Randle To Make Draft Decision Tomorrow As Calipari Meets With Rest Of Roster About Their Futures

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Kentucky forward Julius Randle has yet to declare for the NBA draft or do the nearly unthinkable -- the un-Jabari Parker-able -- and return for his sophomore year. He'll announce his decision at 1:30 pm EST Tuesday following a meeting with head coach John Calipari today, ESPN reported.

As we've seen for nearly the last decade, Calipari isn't in the business of talking his players back to school, which is why even he was surprised when sophomore big man Willy Cauley-Stein decided to return. Still, Calipari -- like most coaches -- meets with his players after the season to discuss their futures.

On Monday, he also met with freshman forward Dakari Johnson and sophomore forward Alex Poythress. Neither is expected to enter the draft (because neither is projected to land in the first round). If Randle stays, however, Johnson or Poythress might change their minds. The 6-foot-9 freshman's return would not only open up a spot in the first round, it would also close up a spot on next year's front line. Poythress and Johnson struggled for playing time last season behind Randle and Cauley-Stein. They'd be doing the same in 2014-15 while competing with Calipari's top-grade big men coming in from high school (which would include 6-foot-10 Trey Lyles and 6-foot-11 Karl Towns, Kr., both in ESPN's top 10 of 2014). In a way, you almost have to leave after a year at Kentucky or risk losing your spot to the next Anthony Davis, Julius Randle, John Wall, etc.

Maybe even more interesting than Randle, who, at worst, will fall in 2014's top 10 (and in my opinion should go number four) are the Harrison twins, who haven't declared their intentions either. Current projections have them lingering somewhere between the first and second round; my gut tells me they'll climb into the mid to first round if they do enter. They'll meet with Calipari on Tuesday, according to ESPN.

The only Kentucky player to officially enter the draft is shooting guard/small forward James Young. He has a shot to make the lottery.

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