Marcus Lee to Return For His Sophomore Year

I'm a little late to the party on this one, but here is my take on Marcus Lee's decision to return to Kentucky or his sophomore season.

After his brother told SNYtv.com that Marcus Lee would return to Kentucky for his sophomore season, Marcus decided to make it official today by having UK send out an official press release with the following statement from Marcus...

"I’ve really enjoyed my college experience and I’m looking forward to continuing to develop as an all-around player," Lee said. "Playing in the Final Four was such an amazing feeling, but I want to come back and help win that final game this year."

Calipari also had something to say about Marcus' decision to return for another season...

"I'm excited for Marcus and think he’s barely scratched the surface of what he’s capable of. In addition to his athleticism and the energy level he brings, the experience he gained in the NCAA Tournament this year will be immeasurable for us next season."

Not that my opinion matters at all to someone like John Calipari, but I agree with him when he says Marcus has only scratched the surface. When you look back on how he came in and performed when Willie Cauley-Stien went down with an ankle injury during the NCAA Tournament, you can't help but get excited at what this young man could possibly brign to the table next year.

A lot of people, some that I know personally, thought it was senseless to think that Marcus could have entertained the thought of entering the NBA Draft. After the athletic plays he had during the NCAA Tournament, him going to the draft became a real possibility. All it takes is one play for scouts to notice something in a player, like the dunk James Young had against UConn in the championship game. That one dunk probably moved James up the draft board a good three to four spots in some scouts minds and got them to take a closer look.  So it wouldn't have been the craziest thing to see Marcus enter his name into the draft. Hell, you don't have to look no further than one Daniel Orton to see that you don't have to do a whole lot to be taken in the first round of the draft.

Congratulations to Marcus on making his decision...