Kentucky coach John Calipari is organizing a "first-of-its-kind" combine for his draft-eligible players to participate in.

The Kentucky Combine, as Calipari is calling it, will allow Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones,DeAndre Liggins and senior Josh Harrellson an opportunity to work out with NBA personnel, and every NBA team has been invited to the Kentucky campus next week to attend the event. Two days of private workouts are scheduled with accompanying one-on-one interviews with the players after they attend classes.

"My hope is this will allow our players to get direct feedback from NBA decision-makers and hopefully create a clearer picture of what their NBA potential may be," Calipari said in a statement. "Instead of us telling them what we are hearing, they can hear directly from the clubs."

The NCAA’s Board of Directors adopted changes Thursday that will significantly impact the amount of time college basketball players have to decide whether to stay in the NBA draft.

Under the new rule, college basketball players must decide before the first day of the spring signing period, typically mid-April, to pull out of the draft and retain their college eligibility.

This year, players have until May 8 to withdraw from the draft.

“For players, I just don’t see how that helps them a whole lot,” Butlerforward Matt Howard said Thursday during a shootaround at Hinkle Fieldhouse. “It almost makes it pointless to put your name out and not sign with an agent.”

The legislation wasn’t intended to help players.

Coaches wanted the earlier date so they could find replacements for those making an early jump to the NBA.

The National Basketball Association announced today that 89 players, including 69 players from U.S. colleges and 20 international players, have filed as early entry candidates for the 2011 NBA Draft.

Players wishing to enter the 2011 NBA Draft were required to submit a letter to the NBA to be received no later than Sunday, April 24.

Players who have applied for early entry have the right to withdraw their names from consideration for the Draft by notifying the NBA of their decision in writing no later than 5 p.m. ET on Monday, June 13.

The following is a of players from U.S. colleges who have applied for early entry into the 2011 NBA Draft, which will be held Thursday, June 23, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

EARLY ENTRY CANDIDATES FOR 2011 NBA DRAFT

Olu Ashaolu Louisiana Tech 6-7 Junior
Keion Bell Pepperdine 6-3 Junior
Jacob Blankenship Southeastern (FL) 6-9 Junior
Laurence Bowers Missouri 6-8 Junior
Alec Burks Colorado 6-6 Sophomore
DeAngelo Casto Washington State 6-8 Junior
Roscoe Davis Midland JC (TX) 6-10 Freshman
Mamadou Diarra Chaminade (HI) 7-0 Junior
TyShwan Edmondson Austin Peay 6-4 Junior
Kim English Missouri 6-6 Junior
Ashton Gibbs Pittsburgh 6-2 Junior
Troy Gillenwater New Mexico State 6-8 Junior
Jeremy Green Stanford 6-4 Junior
Jordan Hamilton Texas 6-7 Sophomore
Tobias Harris Tennessee 6-8 Freshman
Desmond Holloway Coastal Carolina 6-3 Junior
Terrell Holloway Xavier 6-0 Junior
Tyler Honeycutt UCLA 6-8 Sophomore
Scotty Hopson Tennessee 6-7 Junior
Kyrie Irving Duke 6-2 Freshman
Reggie Jackson Boston College 6-3 Junior
Terrence Jennings Louisville 6-9 Junior
Orlando Johnson UC-Santa Barbara 6-5 Junior
Reggie Johnson Miami 6-10 Sophomore
Tiondre Johnson Coastal Bend JC (TX) 6-6 Sophomore
Kevin Jones West Virginia 6-8 Junior
Terrence Jones Kentucky 6-8 Freshman
Cory Joseph Texas 6-3 Freshman
Enes Kanter Kentucky 6-10 Freshman
Ryan Kelley Colorado 6-5 Sophomore
Dan Kelm Viterbo (WI) 6-0 Sophomore
Brandon Knight Kentucky 6-3 Freshman
Malcolm Lee UCLA 6-5 Junior
Kawhi Leonard San Diego State 6-7 Sophomore
Travis Leslie Georgia 6-4 Junior
DeAndre Liggins Kentucky 6-6 Junior
David Loubeau Texas A&M 6-8 Junior
Shelvin Mack Butler 6-3 Junior
Greg Mangano Yale 6-10 Junior
Keishawn Mayes Campbell 6-7 Junior
Cameron Moore Alabama-Birmingham 6-10 Junior
Darius Morris Michigan 6-4 Sophomore
Marcus Morris Kansas 6-9 Junior
Markieff Morris Kansas 6-10 Junior
Darrion Pellum Hampton 6-6 Junior
J.P. Primm North Carolina-Asheville 6-1 Junior
Willie Reed St. Louis 6-9 Sophomore
Jereme Richmond Illinois 6-7 Freshman
Ralph Sampson III Minnesota 6-11 Junior
Carleton Scott Notre Dame 6-8 Junior
Josh Selby Kansas 6-3 Freshman
Iman Shumpert Georgia Tech 6-5 Junior
John Shurna Northwestern 6-8 Junior
Chris Singleton Florida State 6-9 Junior
Greg Smith Fresno State 6-10 Sophomore
Tony Taylor George Washington 6-1 Junior
Isaiah Thomas Washington 5-8 Junior
Trey Thompkins Georgia 6-10 Junior
Hollis Thompson Georgetown 6-7 Sophomore
Klay Thompson Washington State 6-6 Junior
Tristan Thompson Texas 6-8 Freshman
Thomas Tibbs Jr. Staten Island 5-10 Junior
Nikola Vucevic Southern California 6-10 Junior
Kemba Walker Connecticut 6-1 Junior
Antoine Watson Florida International 6-4 Junior
Charlie Westbrook South Dakota 6-4 Junior
Derrick Williams Arizona 6-8 Sophomore
Jordan Williams Maryland 6-10 Sophomore
Brandon Wood Valparaiso 6-2 Junior

The following is the list of international players who have applied for early entry into the 2011 NBA Draft:
 
Andrew Albicy Paris-Levallois (France) 5-10 1990 DOB
Furkan Aldemir Karsiyaka (Turkey) 6-9 1991 DOB
Davis Bertans Union Olimpija (Slovenia) 6-7 1992 DOB
Bismack Biyombo Fuenlabrada (Spain) 6-9 1992 DOB
Nihad Djedovic Lottomatica Roma (Italy) 6-5 1990 DOB
Emmanouil Koukoulas Ilysiakos (Greece) 6-11 1991 DOB
Joffrey Lauvergne Chalon (France) 6-10 1991 DOB
Abdoulaye Loum Le Havre (France) 6-10 1991 DOB
Nikola Mirotic Real Madrid (Spain) 6-10 1991 DOB
Donatas Motiejunas Benetton Treviso (Italy) 7-0 1990 DOB
Lucas Riva Nogueira Estudiantes II (Spain) 6-11 1992 DOB
Femi Oladipo Crailsheim (Germany) 6-7 1990 DOB
Leon Radosevic Cibona (Croatia) 6-10 1990 DOB
Negueba Samake Rouen (France) 6-11 1990 DOB
Tornike Shengelia Verviers-Pepinster (Belgium) 6-9 1991 DOB
Abdel Kader Sylla Nancy (France) 6-9 1990 DOB
Jonas Valanciunas Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania) 6-11 1992 DOB
Jan Vesely Partizan (Serbia) 6-11 1990 DOB
Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann Telekom (Germany) 6-10 1990 DOB
Tomislav Zubcic Cibona (Croatia) 7-0 1990 DOB

Click here to view RealGM's archive of early entry candidates.

Michigan sophomore point guard Darius Morris isn’t likely to be a first round pick in this year’s draft, according to two NBA scouts.

"One, he doesn’t look to shoot enough," NBA Scout No. 1 said. "And, two, he doesn’t shoot it well enough. (And he doesn't create) that shot off the dribble.

“The number one factor to me is the shooting part. He’s a good playmaker and no one can keep him out of the lane, but the shooting is a big-time negative.”

“He had a big jump, but I saw him a few times this year and I didn’t think ‘Boy, he’s wasting his time here, he’s got to go to the NBA,’” Scout No. 2 said. “I thought ‘Here’s a player who has made some definite improvements, he’s playing with a lot more confidence and he’s playing where he has much more impact on the game and those are all good things.'

“But I didn’t think I was looking at an NBA-ready player when I watched him, no.”

Jimmer Fredette signed a deal with New York-based production company Tupelo-Honey Productions to chronicle his life in the days leading up to the NBA draft, June 23 in Newark.

Fredette committed to allow Tupelo-Honey to shoot more than 100 hours of footage over 30 days. The New York-based production company plans to sell online and mobile vignettes and packaged 30-minute TV shows.

No programming has been sold yet, but Tupelo-Honey President Cary Glotzer said he’s already been having discussions and plans to sell footage to several outlets.

N.C. State freshman forward C.J. Leslie has not declared for the NBA draft.

Sports information director Annabelle Myers said the Wolfpack staff did not expect Leslie to enter the draft.

The deadline for underclassmen to enter the draft was 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Leslie was a 2010 McDonald's All-American and is considered to be quick and strong enough as a 6-foot-8 forward to be a productive NBA player.

Former NBA players Steve Kerr and Bill Walton would like to see an increase of the NBA's entry age limit.

“I am staggered that the players union doesn’t fight to protect the existing veteran players’ jobs, players who built the league,” Walton said. “The NBA is a man’s league, a difficult league. You should be three years out of high school and 21 before you can make it. The union is making such a huge mistake fighting for people (college players) who aren’t even in the union.”

Kerr, now an analyst, doesn’t disagree.

“I really think it’s hurt the pro and college game,” Kerr said. “I think what’s happened is that we’re getting sort of an adolescent element to the NBA. It’s unhealthy; these guys aren’t ready. Some of them are ready physically; almost none are ready emotionally. And it’s weakened the NBA product. I would personally like to see the rule that extends the limit not to one year but three years.

“Like baseball, or forget the high school stuff altogether,” Kerr said. “Just three years, tough luck, like football. People can talk individual rights or whatever, big deal. Really, if I’m in the NBA, am I more worried about the rights of a 19-year-old kid or the quality of our business and our product?”

Donatas Montiejunas of Lithuania has decided to test the NBA draft waters.

"He applied today,'' Herb Rudoy, Montiejunas' Chicago-based agent, told me. "I don't know where he'll go in the draft, but he'll be a lottery pick. I'm pretty sure of that.''

Most NBA officials would concur with Rudoy's assessment. The 7-foot, 220-pound Montiejunas is generally regarded as one of the best big men in the draft.

In a recent informal poll of several NBA GMs, player personnel directors and scouts by The Journal Times, Montiejunas was considered one of the top 10 prospects for the draft.

Lucas Nogueira has entered his name into the June 23 NBA draft.

Nogueira’s representatives informed the NBA in a letter sent on Friday. They plan to use the predraft workout process with teams to gauge how far into the first round Nogueira could climb this year.

Prospects have until June 14th to pull out of the draft.

After an impressive performance at the under-18 FIBA championships in July in San Antonio, Nogueira became an intriguing prospect for NBA executives. With a 7-foot-6 wingspan, he’s shown the potential to be a dominant force on the defensive end. Nogueira is still working to add strength to his 220-pound frame.

Tristan Thompson, Jordan Hamilton and Cory Joseph have all declared for the 2011 NBA draft.

Hamilton plans to hire an agent and forego his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility, but Thompson and Joseph will not, which means they may retain their eligibility if they withdraw their names by May 8.

With this departure (and if Thompson and Joseph do indeed leave), Rick Barnes loses his entire starting lineup, which consisted of Hamilton, Thompson, Joseph and graduating seniors Dogus Balbay and Gary Johnson.