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Important Decision Dates and Deadlines for Kentucky’s Basketball Roster

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Another college basketball offseason is upon us, which means several Kentucky Wildcats have decisions to make in regard to their future. A few of those decisions have already been announced, including: Sahvir Wheeler (transfer), Jacob Toppin (NBA Draft), Cason Wallace (NBA Draft), Antonio Reeves (test NBA Draft waters), and Ugonna Onyenso (transfer).

With that being said, there are still more decisions to be made headlined by Oscar Tshiebwe, Chris Livingston, Daimion Collins, and CJ Fredrick. These decisions may take some time, so let’s take a look at the important dates and deadlines to remember coming to this off-season.

April

Now-April 13th: Evaluation Requests

Players can enter the draft while requesting an evaluation and wanting to get feedback on where they can get drafted. Then once they receive the feedback they would decide on whether or not to keep their name in the draft.

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April 23rd: Early NBA Draft Entry Deadline

This is the early entry deadline for the NBA draft. Most Kentucky players would’ve already made their decision and announcement by this time on whether they will test the waters or have already decided to come back.

May

May 11th: Transfer Portal Deadline

By this date, players must have notified their schools of their decision to transfer as the portal officially closes for fall and winter sports. We would know which Kentucky players are going to try elsewhere in college basketball.

May 11th-14th: G-League Elite Camp

This is the time for the G-League elite camp which takes 40 players after the first 70 or so will get invited to the NBA combine. This will be a very good indicator for players who are testing the waters and getting their feedback.

May 14th-21st: NBA Draft Combine

This is when the NBA Draft combine will take place, giving some Kentucky players chances to play themselves into a higher stock. This would be a huge opportunity for players such as Chris Livingston, Oscar Tshiebwe, and Jacob Toppin if they decide to enter the draft process.

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May 16th: NBA Draft Lottery

The NBA draft lottery takes place which only pertains to Cason Wallace with the chance to see what team could select him in the first 14 picks.

May 31st: NCAA Deadline to Maintain College Eligibility

Players must take their name out of the NBA draft by this date if they wish to return to school and retain the college eligibility they have remaining.

June

June 12th: NBA Draft Withdrawl Deadline

This is the NBA Early entry draft withdrawal deadline where a player must take their name out of the draft if they want to maintain the college eligibility they have remaining

June 22nd: NBA Draft

The NBA draft takes place, where Jacob Toppin and Cason Wallace will look to have their names called, with the latter likely being Kentucky’s next lottery pick. It is to be determined if anyone else will join them.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
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Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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