HoopsHype.com Rumors

Christian Laettner, arguably the most hated man in University of Kentucky basketball history, is coming to Rupp Arena to coach a group of “villains” against a team of famous Wildcats alumni on Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Former UK player Jeff Sheppard, who now owns an apparel company and is involved in sports marketing with Wazoo Sports, organized the game. Former Wildcat Rex Chapman will coach the Big Blue All Stars, whose roster includes DeMarcus Cousins, Brandon Knight, Eric Bledsoe, Jodie Meeks, Chuck Hayes, DeAndre Liggins and Josh Harrellson. Courier-Journal

DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Rex Chapman, Lockout, Christian Laettner, Marcus Cousin, Chuck Hayes, Brandon Knight, Josh Harrellson, DeAndre Liggins 

Right now (Liggins) is just working on his game, but he has been talking to his agent and is weighing his option to go play ball overseas. "Overseas, there's good money over there, there's a lot of good things over there but only thing is you're not around your family as much and you can't eat the food, and money talks, and my situation...I got a son so I think that's something I'm looking into. You got to do what you got to do. You got to understand this is the business though. You got to do what you got to do to survive." LEX18.com

Lockout, DeAndre Liggins 

Aran Smith: Kawhi Leonard, Scotty Hopson, Mickey McConnell, Kalin Lucas, DeAndre Liggins and Jamine Peterson working out for Kings today Twitter

Sacramento Kings, Draft, Scotty Hopson, Kawhi Leonard, DeAndre Liggins 

Next week’s NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago will have a Chicago feel to it. Four Chicago-area products were among the 54 players invited to the camp, which will be held at ATTACK Athletics in Chicago from May 18-22. Point guard Demetri McCamey (Illinois, St. Joseph High School), combo guard DeAndre Liggins (Kentucky, Washington), forward Jereme Richmond (Illinois, Waukegan) and point guard Iman Shumpert (Georgia Tech, Oak Park) will participate in the camp. ESPN.com

Draft, Iman Shumpert, DeAndre Liggins 

DeAndre Liggins may not convince everyone that he's ready for the NBA, but nobody believes he's more prepared to jump into the uncertainty of the pros than Liggins himself. A day after announcing he was staying in the 2011 NBA Draft, Liggins defended his decision of foregoing his senior season at Kentucky. "I put in a lot of hard work at Kentucky," Liggins said Monday in an exclusive interview with Cat Scratches. "I overcame a lot throughout my Kentucky career. Everybody knows that. I think I'm mature enough to play in the NBA. I know it's going to be different than college. I'm going to be alone a lot and I'm going to have to make decisions by myself. But I'm old enough and I've got the support." University of Kentucky Official Athletic Site

Draft, DeAndre Liggins 

But after a combine in New Jersey last weekend, Liggins was told he was one of the five best players in the workout and stood a chance in the draft. For a 23-year-old who has overcome a tumultuous youth, a collegiate coaching change and has a newborn child, the window of opportunity was too open to put it on hold. "I had to really think about my family and my son," Liggins said. "I just followed by heart, really." Liggins said he received positive feedback from his workout in New Jersey. Although he didn't collect any promises from any NBA teams and understands he could still go undrafted, he's comfortable with his decision. "There are a lot of teams that like me and will consider me," Liggins said. "There were a couple teams that said I should come back to school and work on such and such, but I just felt like I'm a worker and can do all that stuff at any point in the NBA. I'm a guy who likes to work on my game a lot. I'm a tough guy. I'm mentally tough. I just think guys who are mentally tough, who have a good work ethic like me, can be in the league for a long time." University of Kentucky Official Athletic Site

Draft, DeAndre Liggins 

Sources who attended the workouts told ESPN Insider that the NBDL's Jamine Peterson, Kentucky's DeAndre Liggins, Texas' Cory Joseph and Iowa State's Diante Garrett looked good at the workout Saturday. ESPN.com

Draft, DeAndre Liggins, Cory Joseph, Jamine Peterson, Diante Garrett 

Sources said that Liggins and Peterson were particularly impressive in their ability to control the game on the defensive end with their athleticism. Goudelock apparently shot the lights out. Joseph played well at the combine, which may have influenced his decision to stay in the draft. However, most GMs gave Garrett the nod as the best point guard in the group. ESPN.com

Draft, DeAndre Liggins, Jamine Peterson 

Kentucky guard DeAndre Liggins will remain in the NBA draft. Liggins announced Sunday he will turn pro rather than return for his senior season after talking to NBA scouts during a weekend camp hosted by the New Jersey Nets. ESPN.com

Draft, DeAndre Liggins 

Jeff Goodman: Kentucky's DeAndre Liggins expected to announce he will remain in NBA Draft tomorrow at 2 pm, source close to situation told FOXSports.com. Twitter

Draft, DeAndre Liggins 

DeMarcus Cousins knows what University of Kentucky basketball players Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and DeAndre Liggins are going through these days. And the ex-Wildcat center knows how hard things might get for the current Cats — who are deciding whether to stay in the NBA draft — in the coming weeks and months. “I’ve talked to them,” said Cousins, who just completed his rookie season with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. “I basically just told them which was the toughest part, and that’s basically what they’re going through right now. You kill yourself trying to do everything right and trying to impress those coaches, but I told them, ‘You’ll never impress them, so just go out there, relax and do your thing.” Daily News Journal

Sacramento Kings, Draft, DeMarcus Cousins, Terrence Jones, Brandon Knight, DeAndre Liggins 

Kentucky freshmen Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones and junior DeAndre Liggins are heading to the NBA. Maybe. The school announced Wednesday all three players have declared for the NBA draft but will not sign with an agent, clearing the way for them to return to school next fall if they change their mind by May 8. ESPN.com

Draft, Terrence Jones, Brandon Knight, DeAndre Liggins