While technically there is a possibility of a return based on draft eligibility concerns, which you can read about here, for all intents and purposes, it should be assumed that Sharpe is going to the NBA.
Since enrolling early at Kentucky, Sharpe and his camp have repeatedly said that he came early to prepare and would play for Kentucky in the 2022-23 season. With that no longer looking to be the case, it comes off as poor form.
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It’s okay to be frustrated, because let’s be honest, we were lied to and I truly believe the coaching staff was as well. Taking Sharpe and his camp’s word at face value came back to haunt them.
I don’t put much blame on Sharpe, but rather on his handlers. If they had been more transparent about the situation, the negative response would not be as bad, but they weren’t and may have even made it worse with one report saying they “affected the narrative and are quite amateur”.
Looking back to his decision to enroll early, let’s take a look at some now questionable comments made by Sharpe, his camp, and even Calipari.
October 25, 2021: “He will not be going to the NBA Draft” – Mentor
Sharpe’s mentor, Dwayne Washington, was interviewed by the Lexington Herald-Leader’s Ben Robertswhere he swiftly dismissed any talk of the NBA Draft.
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“He will not be going to the NBA Draft. That’s not even something to talk about. That’s like saying, ‘Are you going to go to Mars tomorrow?’”
November 9, 2021: “100%, I will be at Kentucky to play next season” – Sharpe
In coordination with his announcement to enroll in the spring semester, Sharpe was interviewed by Sports Illustrated’s Jason Jordan.
In the interview, Jordan asked Sharpe about the prospect of playing this season, where he answered, “I’ll do whatever the team needs, but 100% I will be at Kentucky to play next season.”
December 31, 2021: “There has never been a plan to play him” – Calipari
Following Kentucky’s win over High Point, Cal was asked about Sharpe with the spring semester starting soon, providing this quote:
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“We haven’t talked about (him playing), the family hasn’t talked about it. My guess would be, he’s fine. Let’s get him in shape and go from there. There was never a plan to play him. I left that out there so everybody would panic, but there has never been a plan to play him. But, let’s get him here and work him out, see how things are, and see how our team is.”
January 12, 2022: “You get in early, you’ll be able to see Shaedon work out” – Calipari
With UK’s spring semester starting January 10th, Sharpe was then able to join the team. On January 11th, Sharpe traveled to take on Vanderbilt, where he was throwing down between-the-legs dunks in pre-game warmups.
This was followed by what may have been the worst PR move from the Kentucky side of things, with Calipari telling fans to “come early” to see a glimpse of Sharpe.
“Come early. Come early. Alright, here’s what I’m going to tell you. You get in early, you’ll be able to see Shaedon work out. So if you want to be the first to see Shaedon work out, he’ll be on there doing pregame and you’ll get to see him and say — You’ll be the first one to tell everybody, ‘I saw him.’ But you’ve got to get there early. He’ll be out there 90 minutes prior to tip-off.”
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January 14, 2022: “If he’s ready, I say let’s go” – Calipari
John Calipari followed up his previous comments by continuing to hype up a potential debut for Sharpe to play this season. When asked if a there would be a situation where Sharpe would play, Cal answered:
“I don’t know. If he’s not ready to play, I would not put him out there. I would say, come on, this kid just came here. How do you make us, you know? You can’t do that to the kid — unless he’s ready. If he’s ready, I say let’s go. But he practiced yesterday. He’s going to practice today. We’re doing stuff with him.”
January 21, 2022: “He plans on being here next year” – Calipari
“No, it doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t. He plans on being here next year. He’s watching. Whether I play him or not this year, if he’s ready to be in games, I’ll put him in. He’s a great kid, and he’s doing well. And he’s going to make practices even better. He’s only been here two weeks. But, at the end of the day, you know I’m going to be for kids. That’s how I do this.”
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January 22, 2022: “If he doesn’t play this year, he’s coming back next year” – Mentor
In an interview with Kentucky Sports Radio, Washington echoed the same sentiment as Calipari in regards to Givony’s report.
“It’s pretty idiotic. Everybody knew that this was an option, but we’re not taking it. He lost millions coming to school. He came to get better. … You come to get ready if you want to go to the NBA, which is one of the goals. You have to be ready. People don’t respect Calipari’s ability to develop enough, that’s why (Shaedon’s) there. He’s not there to sit on the bench and wave at fans. He’s coming back next year. If he doesn’t play this year, he’s coming back next year.”
February 2, 2022: “I feel like it’ll prepare me for when I play next year” – Sharpe
In one of Sharpe’s few media interactions during his time at Kentucky, he spoke to Curtis Burch on the “Behind Kentucky Basketball” podcast. Sharpe went on to talk about how his decision to enroll early. “I feel like it’ll prepare me for when I play next year,” he said.
February 7, 2022: “He is committed to bettering himself… this year and being better prepared to lead us next season” – Calipari
Calipari makes it official that Sharpe would not play this season, and this is in part due to some eligibility concerns regarding the mysterious nature of his graduation date, which have since been talked about.
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While the Kentucky compliance was not 100% sure, they did not want there to be the potential for any NCAA violation to affect the outcome of the season.
Calipari also doesn’t put this tweet out, saying “being better prepared to lead us next season,” if Sharpe’s camp is telling him there is a possibility of him leaving.
After talking with Shaedon and his parents, we want to end all of the speculation by again saying that he will not play for us this season.
He is committed to bettering himself and our team in practice this year and being better prepared to lead us next season.— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) February 7, 2022
February 8, 2022: This kid comes back, he’s the No. 1 draft pick
Following the day when it was announced that Sharpe would not be playing for Kentucky this season, Calipari gave his first quote in which he acknowledged that Sharpe could leave for the NBA Draft, saying, ” we don’t know yet.”
“It is what it is. I know everybody will say, ‘Well, he isn’t coming,’ Yeah, well anybody can say anything. This kid comes back, he’s the No. 1 draft pick. In my mind, he’s the No. 1 draft pick.How can I say I know what the No. 1 draft pick looks like? BECAUSE I’VE HAD FOUR. That’s why I can say what it looks like. He can be the No. 1 draft pick.
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March 21, 2022: “I hope I get a chance to coach him in real games” – Calipari
During this final radio show of the season, Calipari sounded defeated after losing to Saint Peter’s and came off with a complete lack of confidence that Sharpe would be returning, contrary to what had been said for months at this point.
“I think he’s gotta explore but he’s gotta make a decision on, ‘Alright, do I want this right now? Am I ready for this right now? Is it where I thought it was?’ Because as you go through the process, the information comes back from the NBA, not an agent or anybody else around you, it comes from the NBA…He’s another one. I hope I get a chance to coach him in real games because I enjoy him in practice and I enjoy him as a young person. He’s one of those guys but he’s a super talent though.”
April 12, 2022: “Nothing has been decided” – Mentor
Less than two weeks ago, reports from many college basketball insiders came out that said Sharpe would enter the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility. However, Sharpe’s mentor again insisted that “nothing has been decided”.
Shaedon Sharpe's mentor tells me there is no news to report. Sharpe is "at school finishing the semester" and "nothing has been decided."— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) April 12, 2022
Sharpe has until June 1st at 11:59 PM to make his final decision.
Taylen Kinney, one of the top guards in the 2026 class and the No. 1 point guard in Kentucky, will take an official visit with the Wildcats beginning on June 24.
The Newport, Kentucky native has been inserted in a bit of a bidding war with Louisville and other premier schools after his official visit with the Cardinals, but of course the true recruiting powerhouse had to cast a line in hope of a bite.
KSR’s Jack Pilgrim caught a video of Kinney working with Mark Pope one-on-one on the morning of June 17 at the USA U19 Training Camp in Colorado Springs.
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Mark Pope got some one-on-one time with Tay Kinney during his time in Colorado Springs
Thought to be a head-to-head battle between Kentucky and Louisville for the top-20 recruit’s commitment
A picture of Kinney, along with Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson, two of Kentucky’s incoming freshman on this year’s squad, came out of the camp. Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 player in the class of 2026, who already took a visit to Kentucky recently, was also shown in the picture. All four players are Kentucky natives.
Taylen Kinney, Tyran Stokes, Malachi Moreno, and Jasper Johnson all participating with Team USA (U19).
Kinney is a priority for Kentucky, and Pope planting the idea of being a Wildcat in his mind this past weekend certainly builds the hype of his commitment being a future reality.
However, we can’t act like Pat Kelsey hasn’t already beat Pope to the punch, and it may be too late to change Kinney’s mind on being a Cardinal.
“I probably talk to coach Kelsey twice a week,” Kinney said. “He talks to my parents multiple times a week. I talk to the whole staff all of the time.”
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He later added on some words that no Wildcat fan would want to hear.
“They (Louisville’s staff) just told me that I was their guy,” Kinney said. “I fit perfectly into their system, and there’s no other school that I fit better into than them.
A common member of Big Blue Nation would likely think “yeah alright, wait until you get that Kentucky treatment,” and with the climate of today’s recruiting trail, who knows what can happen.
It will likely be a long time before the star guard makes an official decision, but who doesn’t like a good back-and-forth between two rival programs. The bell has already rung, and round one goes to the Cardinals, but the Wildcats are coming out swinging for round two.
Being from Louisville doesn’t necessarily make you a cardinal, and Mark Pope has set out to prove that in the biggest possible way.
The top-ranked overall recruit in next year’s class, Tyran Stokes, officially took a visit to Lexington on Sunday, June 8. This comes in lieu of many rumors that he’d canceled his visit altogether due to frustration with fans trying to dig for information online.
Last month in a cryptic post on X, Stokes said, “Why can’t y’all give a kid some privacy”. As curious as that was, especially given the proximity to his originally planned visit to Kentucky, it seems that the true issue had no bearing on his choice to hear Coach Pope’s plea.
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And, as Kentucky fans now know, sometimes that’s all it takes to get a guy in blue and white.
The Louisville native, at 6’7, 230, has become widely renowned for his strong slashing ability as a multi-threat scorer on the wing. Stokes is the sort of player that, nobody who you already have on your team, you make room for him. He’s got an intangible build made for the big leagues, and he’s not even out of high school yet.
Stokes is the kind of guy that’d have NBA scouts sitting court side in Rupp Arena. While that level of national buzz isn’t always a good thing, it’s hard to underscore the possibility, and excitement, of the top recruit in the nation committing to the Cats come 2026.
In the very least, Kentucky is in the race, alongside Kansas and Louisville as heavy pursuers. It’s never too early to look ahead, and, as usual, Pope and staff are doing just that with the biggest names in the game.
Earlier today, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats received the commitment from Andrija Jelavic, a 6-foot-11 big from Croatia.
As first reported by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Jelavic is one of the most highly regarded European prospects that is taking his talent to the NCAA.
Soon to be 21 years old, Jelavic averaged 10.8 points per game on 60% shooting from the field to go along with 7.4 rebounds per game for Mega Superbet, the same club that NBA Champion and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic played for.
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As a shock to most, who were expecting Pope’s next commit to be a guard of some sorts, international players can now sign lucrative NIL deals. Kentucky, along with several of the elite colleges, are now in the European market.
Jelavic, with shades of current European big men, can do just about everything on the court. He can shoot, dribble, pass, finish at the rim, etc. With a very relevant comparison, Jelavic plays almost perfectly in the replacement role of Andrew Carr.
His commitment now makes him the fifth member of Pope’s additions this offseason, joining Kam Williams, Jaland Lowe, Mouhamed Dioubate and Jayden Quaintance.
With a 7’2” wingspan, joining an already impressive Kentucky frontcourt, it’s safe to say for certain that this new team will not lack in that department.
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Next year’s roster was loaded with talent already, but now with the addition of Jelavic, lots of questions are arising: Who will start? How many more players is Pope going to add? What will happen with the walk-ons?
There’s plenty to think about for Pope and his staff before the season starts, but like he said back when he introduced himself to Big Blue Nation, “We’re here to win banners.” He’s going to make the moves he thinks will do just that for the Wildcats.
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