‘The part of the business I hate.’ Kentucky loses Devin Askew to transfer portal.
After earlier indicating he would play for Kentucky next season, Devin Askew announced Monday that he planned to transfer.
“I am thankful for the opportunity I had to play basketball at the University of Kentucky,” Askew said in a story posted by 247Sports. “I am also thankful for the coaching staff as they provided an experience that contributed to my development in this game I love. My teammates will be my friends forever and I appreciate how they pushed me day in and day out to get better.
“With that being said, it will be part of my growth in this game to explore a new opportunity and enter the transfer portal.”
More than once during the season, Askew said he planned to return to Kentucky.
A native of Sacramento, Askew was asked in February about possibly following Californians like Johnny Juzang and Jemarl Baker in leaving Kentucky.
“My answer never changed, I’m not one of those kids,” Askew said. “I’m here for good, staying here. … Even though we’re losing, that time before the game, putting on a Kentucky jersey, just knowing I’m a kid from a small place in Sacramento, California, and I made it to Kentucky. I’m happy with that. And just going out there and fighting with my teammates, I find joy in doing that. Even though the games are very close, I find joy in close games because, at one point, we’re going to come out on top and that feeling is great. And we’re going to get that feeling again. But that’s what I find joy in is fighting with my teammates and knowing I came from a small place and I’m here.”
More than once during the season UK Coach John Calipari had saluted Askew’s competitive spirit. In a news release, Calipari lamented Askew’s departure.
“This is the part of the business I hate,” Calipari said. “I wish I could coach every kid for four years, but I have to respect Devin’s decision and I do. I will always be here to help him. My hope — and I told him this — is that he takes the fight he learned here with him wherever he goes. He was a great teammate and improved in so many ways as the season wore on. I will be rooting for Devin as he takes this next step.”
Askew was regarded as the No. 1 point guard prospect in the high school class of 2021. He reclassified to the 2020 class.
Askew averaged 6.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists as a freshman for UK. He also had a 73-to-50 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Askew did not finish the season with a flurry. In his last four games, he made one of 10 shots (zero of four from three-point range) and scored seven points. He did not start in three of those four games.
Askew’s decision to transfer surprised the director of the AAU team he played for. “That’s a shocker to me,” Victor Martin said.
Speculation quickly emerged that Kentucky adding a graduate transfer from Davidson, guard Kellan Grady, might have influenced Askew’s decision to leave.
UK has also been linked to Marcus Carr, a guard who played a season for Pittsburgh and then the last two seasons for Minnesota.
Carr, a 6-foot-2 guard, has scored 1,041 points in his three-season college career. He has entered his name in this year’s NBA Draft. But Carr left open the option of playing in the 2021-22 college season.
The Associated Press named Carr to its All-Big Ten first team. He set a Minnesota single-season record of 207 assists in 2019-20.
A brother, Duane Notice, played for South Carolina’s 2017 Final Four team.
Askew joins fellow freshman Cam’Ron Fletcher in transferring. Terrence Clarke and Brandon Boston have also announced they’re leaving Kentucky after one season with plans to hire agents and enter the NBA Draft. Another freshman, Isaiah Jackson, has said he will enter the draft as well but left open the option of returning to Kentucky.
