More Kentucky basketball recruiting links: ESPN leaves Kentucky signees out of new top 10
ESPN updated its basketball recruiting rankings for the classes of 2022, 2023 and 2024 on Wednesday, and there was a big change at the top of the senior list.
With Shaedon Sharpe now enrolled in classes at Kentucky and part of the Wildcats’ team, he is no longer in the No. 1 spot on ESPN’s list. That position now belongs to Duke signee Dereck Lively II, a former UK target who also replaced Sharpe at the top of the 247Sports rankings.
Further down the list, there are no UK signees anywhere to be found in ESPN’s new top 10 rankings. Chris Livingston is at No. 12, followed by Cason Wallace at No. 14 and Skyy Clark at No. 25. 247Sports and Rivals.com both have Livingston and Wallace in their top 10 lists, and both players have received praise so far this season, so these ESPN rankings might be more of an outlier than a signal of where the Kentucky recruits stand among their peers.
247Sports and Rivals.com are both expected to update their 2022 rankings in the near future. (Rivals still has Sharpe as the No. 1 player in the 2022 class).
ESPN also updated its 2023 and 2024 rankings on Wednesday with UK targets DJ Wagner and Naas Cunningham holding the No. 1 spots in their respective lists. Kentucky signee Reed Sheppard is No. 34 in ESPN’s 2023 rankings.
Top Kentucky basketball recruiting links
None and done?: Prediction that Shaedon Sharpe will leave Kentucky
Will Cats pursue Holland?: UK could make move on possible No. 1
New rankings: Where 247Sports ranks Kentucky’s 2022 recruits
Reed Sheppard scored his 2,500th career point Wednesday night
A look at the biggest risers in the new 247Sports rankings for ‘22
Could Mookie Cook take No. 1 ranking? And a note on Tre Johnson
7-footer, teammate of DJ Wagner remains interested in Kentucky
Top-ranked DJ Wagner hopes to continue his family’s NBA legacy
Chris Livingston says Georgetown finished second to UK for him
UK target Naasir Cunningham eyes blue bloods, backs up No. 1 status
Duke point guard recruit Caleb Foster still thinking about ‘22 reclass
Longtime UK recruit of interest Omaha Biliew is nearing a list cut ...
But Kentucky is not among the schools contacting Biliew the most
Possible UK target Ja’Kobe Walter went for 49 points Tuesday night
More Next Cats links: Chris Livingston had a good Hoophall Classic
This story was originally published January 19, 2022 at 10:54 AM.
