More Kentucky basketball recruiting links: John Calipari on Shaedon Sharpe’s status
John Calipari is leaving the option open for No. 1-ranked basketball recruit Shaedon Sharpe to play for Kentucky later this season, but it doesn’t sound like the UK coach is expecting it.
Sharpe signed with the Wildcats last week and will join the team at the semester break. The plan has been for Sharpe to practice with the Cats for the second half of the season and prepare for a college debut in the 2022-23 season. There’s been recent speculation, however, that he might actually play for UK at some point this season, with his mentor, Dwayne Washington, saying Sharpe would play if Calipari needs him.
“I don’t think so,” Calipari said when asked Thursday if Sharpe might play during the 2021-22 season. “But when he gets here — he may not be in any kind of shape to really do it — but we’ll see.”
Kentucky is loaded with backcourt talent on the current roster, even with the recent news that CJ Fredrick is likely to miss the entire season with an injury. It doesn’t sound like Calipari thinks Sharpe will be joining that rotation this winter, but that “we’ll see” comment is likely to only drive speculation further as soon as he gets to campus.
Top Kentucky basketball recruiting links:
Watch live: Here’s how to follow Reed Sheppard’s college announcement
UK recruiting questions: Five big topics to think about for the Wildcats
Kentucky is moved down to a 4 seed in ESPN’s new Bracketology update
Some impressive recruiting classes outside the national top 10 rankings
Kentucky and North Carolina in hot pursuit of 2024 star Ryan Jones Jr.
Shaedon Sharpe still No. 1 in ESPN rankings; Kentucky still has top class
UK target Kwame Evans Jr. makes list of the top 15 big men in high school
Sports Illustrated profile on Scoota Henderson’s path to pro basketball
Five-star junior Omaha Biliew talks recent visits (no Kentucky mention)
National analyst takes a look at the top 5 available players in the ‘22 class
247Sports takes a closer look at Lexington Catholic standout Reece Potter
One to watch: Amier Ali is a big guard who is earning some big-time offers
More recruiting links: Reed Sheppard’s Crystal Ball still points toward UK
This story was originally published November 18, 2021 at 12:24 PM.
