Wenyen Gabriel Announces He Will Leave Kentucky, Remain in 2018 NBA Draft

Wenyen Gabriel initially kept the door open to return to Kentucky for his junior season, but he is officially moving on to the next chapter in his life. 

On Wednesday, Gabriel announced on Twitter that he would remain in the draft pool after receiving positive feedback during the pre-draft process:

Gabriel declared for the draft back in April with the intention of testing the waters before hiring an agent:

Now, he has decided it's time to take his talents to the next level.

The Wildcats thanked Gabriel for his two years on campus:

Gabriel averaged 5.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game during his time in Lexington, including 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds as a sophomore. He shot 39.6 percent from beyond the arc last season. He was part of Kentucky teams that made it to the Elite Eight and the Sweet 16, respectively.

As the Wildcats pointed out, he ended his college career on a strong note:

"

Over the final eight games, Gabriel averaged 9.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 3-point field goals per game. The 6-foot-9 forward became our go-to 3-point threat down the stretch, making 56.7 percent of his shots from behind the arc over that eight games.

— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) May 30, 2018"

The 6'9", 205-pound prospect did not appear on Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman's big board following the combine.