Keep up with the Cats: 2021 calendar with important dates for Kentucky basketball
Kentucky basketball never truly stops, and just because this college basketball season came to an end last Monday night doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty for Wildcats’ fans to follow between now and the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
UK stumbled through an unorthodox season with a 9-16 record and — for the first time in eight years — missed out on the NCAA Tournament. Despite the unique difficulties of the past year, John Calipari has made it clear that outcome is unacceptable at Kentucky, and the foundation is already being laid for what should be a much more promising season to follow.
Who will be on that next Wildcats’ roster? And UK rosters to follow? Here are some important dates in the world of Kentucky basketball to mark on your calendars between now and the moment the 2021-22 season tips off, with the understanding that the COVID-19 pandemic could still scramble plans over the next few months.
April 14
Signing period begins: This is the spring date that opens the window for high school seniors to officially sign with their colleges. All three of UK’s recruiting commitments for next season — Daimion Collins, Nolan Hickman and Bryce Hopkins — committed early and officially signed with the Cats in November. Kentucky might not add anyone else from the high school ranks for next season. Recent Texas decommitment Tamar “Scoop” Bates will be the main 2021 recruit to watch there, with any other offseason additions likely coming from the NCAA transfer portal.
May 17
First day of summer classes: The summer school period is typically the time when UK players arrive on campus to get acquainted with their new teammates and prepare for the season to come. Obviously, 2020 was far from typical, and this past season’s squad didn’t arrive at UK until the final weekend of June. And, even then, strict protocols related to COVID-19 were in place that prevented them from bonding with their teammates, on and off the court. A more normal 2021 would be a major benefit for Kentucky, which will — as always — have several new players on the roster.
May 22
NBA playoffs begin: The postseason tips off, and it’s a sure bet that — no matter which teams make it to the playoffs — the field will have lots of former Kentucky players to track.
June 1
End of the “dead period”? Since last March, the NCAA has had in place a “dead period” that effectively bans all recruiting travel. College coaches aren’t allowed to go off campus to see recruits play or meet with them and their families. Recruits aren’t allowed to take sanctioned visits to college campuses. This period has been extended several times over the past year, and the current extension is set to expire May 31. That means college coaches and high school players could be back on the recruiting trail and on college campuses by the first day of June. Whenever the period finally ends, it will be an important recruiting milestone. The players who will be seniors in high school later this year haven’t been seen in person by college coaches since their sophomore seasons. Both sides are eager to move on and get back to building relationships in person.
June 21-27
NBA Combine: NBA Draft prospects gather for a weeklong series of scrimmages and workouts with the league’s scouts looking on. Despite Kentucky’s less-than-stellar season, this year’s Combine should include a few former Wildcats.
June 22
NBA Draft lottery: Who gets the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft? This is when we’ll find out.
July 7
Early entry withdrawal deadline: The NCAA has typically set an NBA Draft withdrawal deadline for 10 days after the end of the league’s Combine. If that recent tradition holds — and it’s important to reiterate that everything remains in flux for the time being — then 11:59 p.m. on July 7 is when we’ll know who plans to keep their names in the draft and who plans to return to college basketball next season. UK freshman Isaiah Jackson will be one obvious player to keep an eye on in the run-up to this date, but keep in mind that other players testing the waters could ultimately pull out of the draft and — upon a return to college — possibly transfer to Kentucky for next season. The uncertainty around this offseason likely means UK’s final roster won’t be fully known until the summer.
July 8
College coaches watch recruits? If the recruiting dead period is indeed lifted this summer, the NCAA’s calendar marks July 8-11 as the first evaluation period of the month, which means this is the week that college coaches would be permitted to get back on the road and actually evaluate prospective recruits in person. This would typically be the week of the Nike Peach Jam and other major shoe company events. It’s an opportunity for college coaches to see the best prospects in the country play against each other, and this is an especially important time for Kentucky’s coaches to get a look at their top existing targets while keeping an eye on other potential Wildcats. As of now, these tournaments are expected to be played whether or not college coaches will be in attendance.
NBA Finals begin: Will Anthony Davis have the Lakers back in the Finals? Will Devin Booker or Jamal Murray or the Heat duo of Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro or 76ers rookie Tyrese Maxey make it this far? Whatever happens, it seems like a fair chance that a former Wildcat (or two, or three) will be playing for a ring when the Finals tip off July 8.
July 29
NBA Draft: The event that John Calipari always keeps circled on his calendar will occur later than usual (but earlier than last year), and Kentucky is likely to have two or three selections despite the losing season. Isaiah Jackson, Brandon Boston and Terrence Clarke will all be players to watch on draft night 2021.
Aug. 23
First day of classes at UK: The fall semester begins, and the college basketball preseason talk in Lexington will continue its steady rise.
Sept. 9
Recruiting visits begin: Assuming college coaches will be allowed to travel, this is the date every year when the NCAA allows those coaches to actually visit with recruits off campus. So, every year at this time, John Calipari and his assistant coaches will travel all over the country, seeing kids and their families in those players’ homes and at their high schools. It’s usually a great indicator of who Calipari covets most in that upcoming senior class, and — with coaches sidelined for the past year — this fall recruiting period will be even more important when deciphering which players Kentucky most wants to land for that 2022 recruiting class.
Late September
Get ready for Madness: There’s no date set yet, but tickets for Big Blue Madness — the ceremonial start to the basketball season — typically get distributed in late September. In 2019, fans could start camping out the morning of Sept. 25 and tickets became available the night of Sept. 27. We’ll see what kind of changes are made to the process as the time for Madness draws closer.
Mid-October
Big Blue Madness: There’s still no set date on the calendar for this year’s Big Blue Madness, but — in the five “normal” years that preceded 2020 — the event has been held on the Friday night that fell between Oct. 11 and Oct. 16. If tradition holds, Oct. 15 would be the most likely date for this year’s Madness. Whenever it happens, Big Blue Nation will be ready.
Nov. 9
Champions Classic: Finally, the season begins. And could it get any bigger than this? Kentucky vs. Duke at Madison Square Garden. Cats’ fans will be eager to move past the 2019-20 season and hoping to exact some payback on the Blue Devils for the shellacking in the Champions Classic three years ago. Both programs have highly touted recruiting classes (as always) and both teams are likely to be ranked among the best in the country once the 2021-22 campaign begins. And it’s never too early to dream: the 2022 Final Four is set for April 2 and 4 at the Superdome in New Orleans, the setting for Kentucky’s last national championship victory 10 years earlier.
This story was originally published April 6, 2021 at 7:19 AM.
