Why major Kentucky basketball target Shaedon Sharpe earned the No. 1 ranking for 2022
Going into the July basketball recruiting period, talent evaluators who have a say in the national rankings knew they would have to come up with a new No. 1 player for the rising senior class.
By that point, it was understood that both Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren — long considered the top two prospects in the class of 2022 — would be reclassifying to 2021 and moving on from high school. (Both, it turned out, have since done just that, committing to play for Memphis this coming season).
So, in addition to the July evaluation periods being the last major proving grounds of the summer for the top recruits still left in the 2022 class, they were an audition for that very top spot.
In the eyes of the analysts at Rivals.com, it was Canadian shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe who showed he deserves the No. 1 ranking.
Sharpe — a super-athletic, 6-foot-5 prospect from Ontario, now playing in Arizona — was ranked No. 90 nationally this time last year, coming off his first high school season in the United States, one where he played sparingly off the bench as a sophomore.
Last winter, he emerged as a star after a transfer to Dream City Christian (Ariz.), earning a Kentucky scholarship offer early in his junior campaign and jumping to No. 11 nationally in those Rivals.com rankings by the end of the season.
Coming into this summer, Sharpe was widely viewed as a major Kentucky lean, and — with his recruitment likely coming to an end in the very near future — he now holds a No. 1 ranking.
Rivals.com national analyst Rob Cassidy told the Herald-Leader this week that the website’s analysts started looking at Sharpe as a possible No. 1 player in the class in the spring, following a breakout showing at the Midwest Mania event in Indiana. Then came the Nike Peach Jam event in July.
“He’s going up against top-flight competition — and he just looked like the guy,” Cassidy said. “And I thought that — as far as a consistency standpoint and an athleticism standpoint — when you’re making a guy No. 1, what you’re really looking at is you’re looking at the ceiling, but you’re also looking at the floor. ‘What’s the bust factor on this guy?’ And I don’t think Sharpe has one. Because he’s such a good athlete. Because he is so skilled. Because he is so long. For him to fail — for him to not be a lottery pick — it’s going to take a lot. And he has the production to back up the tools.”
Sharpe averaged 22.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game during Nike’s premier grassroots event, shooting 36.4 percent from three-point range and showing off the athleticism that made him such an intriguing prospect early in his American high school career.
He ramped up his production even more during the final week of Nike play. Cassidy pointed to his overall defense as an area for improvement — though he noted that he already defends relatively well — and lauded Sharpe’s offensive versatility, something that should translate immediately to the high-major college level.
“The offensive capabilities are all there,” Cassidy said. “He’s got the length. He can shoot it. He’s a super athlete and handles the ball really well. He’s one of those guys where he’ll catch the ball on the perimeter, and it’s two dribbles and he’s at the basket. He’s super explosive.”
Battle for No. 1 ranking
Other players were considered for the No. 1 position that Sharpe now holds in the 2022 rankings, and that will obviously remain a talking point in the coming months as all of these prospects have one more season of high school remaining, followed by the spring all-star events.
Going into the fall, Rivals.com ranks UCLA guard commitment Amari Bailey at No. 2, uncommitted 7-2 center Dereck Lively II at No. 3, uncommitted 7-footer Yohan Traore at No. 4, with Duke power forward commitment Kyle Filipowski rounding out the top five. (UK’s only 2022 commitment so far, point guard Skyy Clark, was listed No. 21 in those rankings, which were released last week).
Cassidy specifically mentioned Bailey, Lively and Traore as possible No. 1 players in the future, though other prospects could also develop to the point of entering that conversation.
Bailey had been the No. 3 player in the Rivals rankings behind Jalen Duren and Emoni Bates, but he opted not to play AAU ball this summer, and, as a result, hasn’t been seen by evaluators in months.
“But there are a lot of people who you talk to — that I trust — who think he’s (No. 1),” Cassidy said. “We couldn’t do it, just because we hadn’t seen him this summer. I think there’s a chance that he will end up there.”
Lively, who is at the top of UK’s recruiting list along with Sharpe, helped lead Team Final to the Peach Jam title in July and will remain in the mix for the No. 1 spot. Kentucky and Duke are currently viewed as the most likely options for his commitment.
“He’s more of an upside guy,” Cassidy said. “I think Dereck Lively probably has a higher upside than Sharpe, but he vanishes for stretches. Sharpe doesn’t really do that. Sharpe is just more developed right now. I think he’s more skilled. I think he’s more comfortable with his body. And I think the floor is higher.
“And that’s really what it came down to is, ‘Who has the higher floor?’ And Sharpe does.”
Traore — a native of France and high school teammate of Sharpe’s — was unranked entering the spring and jumped 60 spots to No. 4 nationally with last week’s Rivals.com update. He still has Louisiana State, Louisville, Memphis, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Texas Tech, UCLA, Utah and the Australian-based NBL pro league on his list of possibilities.
Shaedon Sharpe and Kentucky
This appears to be the stretch run of Sharpe’s recruitment.
After taking only one official visit — it was to Kentucky — earlier this summer, Sharpe was on Arizona’s campus this past weekend for an official visit there. Sharpe returned to Lexington right after that trip for his second official visit to UK, and the plan is to have a more in-depth conversation with G League representatives, then prepare for a commitment.
Coming into this week, Kentucky had all 13 of the predictions on Sharpe’s Rivals.com Future Cast and 247Sports Crystal Ball pages, including picks from several national analysts. There have been no “pro” predictions on his Crystal Ball page, despite an offer from the G League expected to be in the high six figures.
A final announcement is expected soon, and UK is obviously in a great spot.
“I think we’ve seen with Jalen and Emoni — some of these bigger programs, with the name and likeness money, can stand toe to toe with the G League,” Cassidy said. “And Kentucky is definitely one of those. That’s a place you can go and make that kind of cash. So, yeah, I like Kentucky’s chances.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
