Shaedon Sharpe (UK Athletics Photo)
I’m not sure anyone should really be surprised that ESPN NBA Draft expert Jonathan Givony, founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, reported Thursday that Kentucky freshman Shaedon Sharpe can put his name into the 2022 NBA Draft as an early-entry candidate. Givony reported a source told him. For months there has been speculation if Sharpe, who reclassified at midseason to join the Kentucky program for the second semester, would be eligible for the draft. He turns 19 in May, so the age restriction was no problem. The issue was finishing high school in December and being in the 2022 draft.
The 6-6 Sharpe is a 6-5 wing and was the No. 1 prospect in the 2022 class before reclassifying. He ranks No. 3 in the 2021 class.
Now the question is will Sharpe ever play for Kentucky? He said his plan was to join the team, sit out the rest of the season unless coach John Calipari wanted him to play, practice with the team and play the 2022-23 season.
Calipari has not said Sharpe would play but he also has never totally ruled out playing him.
“We don’t have a plan for him to play this year. Maybe he does, but that is not the plan and never has been,” Calipari said recently. “If you ask me right now, my guess is he won’t play. But you don’t know what happens.”
Eric Bossi, 247Sports’ national basketball director, has billed Sharpe as an “explosive athlete with an electric first step” for months.
Sharpe is already being projected by some as a top five pick in the 2022 draft — a status that would seem to make it almost impossible for him to return to Kentucky for the 2022-23 season.
In fairness, Sharpe has insisted he wants to be back at UK and has not mentioned entering the draft.
Would Sharpe risk playing this season if he knows he can be a top five pick now? Would Sharpe decide if he does not play for Kentucky that it might be best for him to return to UK next year before heading to the NBA?
Givony speculated that if Sharpe is going to play for UK this season it will be in the next two or three games. Kentucky plays at Auburn Saturday, hosts Mississippi State Tuesday, and then plays at Kansas Jan. 29. A home debut against Mississippi State would make the most sense for his debut.
Kentucky coach John Calipari will have a press conference this morning and certainly will be asked about Sharpe. If Calipari doesn’t play him and he leaves, the UK coach is going to be criticized even though it might not be Calipari’s decision that keeps him from playing.
If Calipari does play him, it disrupts UK’s chemistry and Sharpe still leaves, the coach is going to be criticized.
If Calipari does play him, he helps UK become an even better team and UK makes a deep NCAA run, then if Sharpe leaves my guess is fans will not be quite as upset.
But his entire scenario is one Calipari has to know could develop and the only person who really knows what may or may not happen is Sharpe.
13 Responses
The real question is did Cal know all along that Shaedon was not going to play this year and leave for the draft? Did he intentionally keep this information from the BBN, because he knows the uproar it would cause. Can we abide our coach lying to us! We all know Cal lies to accomplish his goals. He has made it clear that the players mean more to him than the school that pays him or the BBN. This is the downfall of a lifetime contract. One championship in twelve years does not justify this attitude.
This is another area falls behind other coaches. Banchero, Smith, and Holmgren are all playing for Duke, Auburn, and Gonzaga and have since day one.
A couple of seasons ago when Zion got injured I personally thought he would shit it down and wouldn’t have blamed him. Yet he returned to finish the season for Duke.
We dealt with a bizarre situation in Jared Vanderbilt.
This situation with this kid using UK to circumvent his year in college purgatory was not only predicted months ago, and denied by all the Cal-Blinded supporters, but now it is happening.
What did Calipari know and when did he stop knowing it.
This almost happened before with Diallo but when Diallo tried to get drafted, his NBA stock was not sufficiently high for him to make the jump that summer, so he returned. This kid’s NBA potential is lottery, and he will go.
Calipari, is still holding the line that this kid will play for UK next season. How long will he hold on to that line?
This kid must be asked point blank about his NBA intentions, and if it is true, which I believe it is, he must be shown the door today.
I would say if millions are available for Sharpe he bolts for the NBA without ever playing a game for UK, why wouldn’t he? Rules need to be changed that change the age and draft eligibility of college basketball players. The NBA draft, as it is handled now, is ruining college basketball. I won’t hold my breath though. To put it bluntly, I am sick of these one and done athletes who really don’t want a good education, and put no value on one. If I am dead wrong about Sharpe, I apologize. Maybe Sharpe plays a game or several later this season. We shall see.
If Calipari doesn’t change his coaching style. UofK will never see another final four. He tells so much while players are trying to play they can’t think. His coaching skills are out dated, just watch Gonzaga or another top program the players don’t play scared.
These kids read sites like this one. It won’t help his decision with people putting him down. I don’t see the harm in Sharpe practicing with the team whether he ever plays or not. It can only make our guards better. I think anyone would go to the draft if guaranteed a multimillion dollar contract. If you say you wouldn’t, then you’re a liar. I would tell those who didn’t like it to kiss my a$$ on the way out of the door.
Banchero, Smith, and Holmgrem all three are guaranteed millions yet they are playing for their coaches and colleges. All three will drafted higher than Sharpe.
The big difference is between the coaches. The other 3 would tell their lottery picks to back their bags if they wouldn’t play.
Our coach instead will cater to Sharpe just so he can claim him as another lottery pick he had drafted. That’s Cal’s number ONE goal!
Fair points
Sharpe didn’t enroll until after Christmas break. The others were with their teams for fall practice.
uk1996champs has Calipari pegged.
And Jared Vanderbilt is not the only example that can be cited.
No we’ve basically been through the Sharpe situation already with Diallo, he used us and only returned because he wasn’t going to get drafted high enough.
Cal likes being a trendsetter. Maybe he can start another trend by letting future draft picks use our facilities for conditioning while receiving free food and lodging and making NIL $$$$ without ever playing in a game.
Cal could really put guys into the NBA then.
No we’ve basically been through the Sharpe situation already with Diallo, he used us and only returned because he wasn’t going to get drafted high enough.
Cal likes being a trendsetter. Maybe he can start another trend by letting future draft picks use our facilities for conditioning while receiving free food and lodging and making NIL $$$$ without ever playing in a game.
Cal could really put guys into the NBA then.