Kentucky's Meeks declares for NBA draft

LEXINGTON, Ky., April 7 (UPI) -- Kentucky junior Jodie Meeks, who led the Southeastern Conference in scoring last season, Tuesday declared himself eligible for the NBA draft.

However, since Meeks didn't hire an agent, he has until June 15 to withdraw his name from the draft and be eligible to return to the Wildcats.

Meeks was eighth in the nation and first in the SEC with a 23.7-points-per-game average and scored a Kentucky record with 54 points in a game against Tennessee. A 6-foot-4-inch guard, Meeks shot 90.2 percent from the free throw line and led the conference in three-point shooting percentage (40.6).

Should Meeks decide to return to Kentucky, he would play his senior season under Coach John Calipari, who left Memphis to take over the Kentucky head coaching position after Billy Gillispie was fired.