UK’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Says He’s Sticking Around [VIDEO]

Hey, I get it. Whenever an extraordinarily talented underclassman announces, during this part of the season, that he is staying in school, we all have a tendency to file it under the "I'll believe that when I see it" category. But, I submit to you that UK's extraordinarily talented freshman small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist might very well stick to his word--he's announced he's not leaving.Now, I obviously don't know this kid, so this opinion doesn't stem from any kind of first-hand insight. No, I come at this by way of observation. Earlier in the season, Kidd-Gilchrist flew home to New Jersey because his mother was ill and he needed to be at her bedside. As it turns out, nothing was seriously wrong, thank God. But on the flight home, MKG did not know that and, by his own admission, was in tears--practically sobbing--the whole way. Certainly, any of us would be concerned if we'd learned our mothers were ill. But there was something very YOUTHFUL in the way MKG handled this news. And, in interviews, he comes across as a teenager, not a guy who's gonna be a pro in 4 months. For crying out loud, he just turned 18 back in September, making him easily one of the youngest players ever to suit up for the Wildcats. Plus, there's something intangible. He just doesn't SEEM like the type to take off after his freshman year. I can't put my finger on why I feel that way, but I do. I've watched tons of college ball over the years, and I've gotten used to body language with regards to declarations for the draft. I haven't seen it in Kidd-Gilchrist. Now, if superhuman Anthony Davis is 30-foot-long arms were to say "I'm stickin' around," I'd say, "Yeah? Well, I've got some swampland in Arizona..." Don't get me wrong, MKG has the talent to declare for the NBA draft. And he still has to convince his coach he's staying. But something tells me he's gonna hang around. Then again, I think Louisville's gonna win at Syracuse this Saturday, so what do I know?