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Shaedon Sharpe Releases Official Announcement Declares for NBA Draft, Keeping College Eligibility

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247 Sports

This morning the Big Blue Nation was abuzz after several reports from reputable sources came out that Shaedon Sharpe would be entering and keeping his name in the NBA Draft.

Sharpe has since released a statement announcing that he is putting his name in the draft, but contrary to those reports, he says he is still maintaining his college eligibility.

With that said, I wouldn’t get your hopes up for a return, as The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker tweeted that the NBA still expects Sharpe to keep his name and be a top-10 pick.

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So if all reports and signs indicate that Sharpe will be staying in the NBA Draft, why is he maintaining his college eligibility?

Back in February, it was first reported that Sharpe would be eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft, but it has never been made certain. Just over two months from the draft, there are still some concerns, as could be assumed from his statement and decision to keep his college eligibility.

While Sharpe, at 19 years old meets the age requirement, his graduation date has created the biggest hiccup. Based on the way NBA League rules are written, “players must be one NBA season removed from high school graduation to be eligible.”

Sharpe was believed to have graduated in December, but a representative of Shaedon Sharpe’s high school, Dream City Christian, confirmed to ESPN he graduated in May of 2021.

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According to the rule, if Sharpe can prove that he graduated before October 19, 2021 (the start of the 2022 NBA season) he will be deemed eligible. With that said, the NBA doesn’t rule on draft eligibility until you actually put your name in, hence why he is declaring but keeping open both options.

I don’t how difficult it is to find out when someone graduated high school, but it is definitely a unique situation, to say the least.

With Sharpe’s announcement going against prior reports, it means one of three things: The reports are wrong, no one knows his draft eligibility, or they are changing the message from a PR standpoint to mitigate the negative response.

For all intents and purposes, it should be assumed that Sharpe is going to the NBA, but there seems to be a minuscule chance that he could still be ruled ineligible, in which a return to Kentucky is still an option.

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Sharpe will have until 11:59 PM EST on June 1st to make an official decision.

BB Recruiting

Kentucky Receives First Transfer Commitment From Top 25 Prospect, “Not Many People Get Opportunities Like This”

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Kentucky transfer Kam Williams prepares to shoot.

While all the attention is on Kentucky’s matchup with Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen, the transfer portal officially opened on Monday and the staff has been hard at work.

Already tossing a wide net, reaching out to nearly a dozen guys in the past few days, the Cats have reeled in their first commitment from Top 25 ranked (247Sports), four-star transfer Kam Williams from Tulane.

With a 6-8, 190-pound frame, Williams has good size. What caught the staff’s eye is his ELITE shooting ability, shooting better than 41 percent this past season and that includes 17 threes made beyond 25 feet. He excels best in catch-and-shoot situations, where he ranks in the 94th percentile.

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Williams received interest from many schools in addition to Kentucky, such as Florida, Louisville, and St. John’s among others. Why did Williams commit to Kentucky so quickly?

“Not many people get opportunities like this, so I wanted to pull the trigger fast,” Williams told ESPN. “More people are waiting to fill that spot, so I had to take advantage.”

“My dream is to play in the NBA. Kentucky’s culture and background shows that they care about their players, especially developing them into the best players they can be.”

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Kentucky Named a Finalist for Five Star, Top 5 NBA Prospect Nate Ament

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2025 top five prospect Nate Ament on his visit to Kentucky.
UK Athletics

Mark Pope has received three top-35 commitments in his first high school recruiting class, including two high 4-star commits in Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.

However, his first top-10 prospect still eludes him after missing out on Caleb Wilson last month… at least for now.

Over the last few weeks, Pope and his staff have focused heavily on top-five prospect Nate Ament.

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Ament, the second-ranked power forward in the 2025 class, cut his list down to five schools earlier this week: Duke, Louisville, Tennessee, Arkansas, and the Kentucky Wildcats.

The 6-foot-9 prospect has visited each of them except Arkansas over the last five months, with a decision expected in the next month or so. Where does each program stand?

According to Joe Tipton of On3, Louisville and Duke have “positioned themselves” the best in this recruitment, giving Pat Kesley and the Cardinals a slight lead. However, there is still time, and one thing that could shake things up the most is NIL, reported to be one of Ament’s biggest priorities.

Elsewhere at On3, Jamie Shaw did his own update, where he said this could be down to a Kentucky vs. Louisville battle.

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“Speaking with sources at this point in time it does sound like there is a split room around Nate Ament with Duke, Louisville, and Kentucky. With the intel I am currently getting, I would not be surprised to see this ultimately come down to a Kentucky and Louisville battle,” Shaw wrote, later adding that a decision could come in the next few weeks.

Ament is fresh off a visit to Kentucky, where he saw Rupp Arena at its best as the Wildcats completed the season sweep of Tennessee. That being his most recent visit, along with Pope visiting for Ament’s Senior night, the hope is it made a lasting impact, but will it be enough?

Time will tell, but the Cats are a legitimate contender to land Ament.

Be sure to read Shaw’s update here.

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Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

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Kentucky Hosting Top Five Recruit Nate Ament

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Top five prospect Nate Ament will be visiting Kentucky in Rupp Arena as they take on Tennessee.
USA Basketball

After missing out on Caleb Wilson, Kentucky has shifted focus to its last remaining prospect, Nate Ament. The 6-foot-9 small forward prospect out of Warrenton, Virginia, is now the Wildcats’ last remaining prospect in the high school ranks for the 2025 class.

Ament has set up a visit to Kentucky, which was first reported by On3’s Joe Tipton. He will be in attendance when Tennessee travels to Rupp Arena on February 11th, with both the Wildcats and the Volunteers in the mix within the recruitment.

It is important to note that Kentucky is behind in this recruitment as they prioritized Caleb Wilson over Ament which did not pay off in the end. Ament has already visited Duke, Tennessee, Louisville, Texas, and Notre Dame. He is currently down to 11 schools including the Cats.

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Duke has been considered the longtime favorite in the recruitment but Mark Pope and company will have the chance to sell themselves before Ament decides to commit to another school.

Mark Pope even recruited Ament during his visit to Tennessee, where Kentucky pulled the upset on the road. As the team was celebrating coming off the floor, Pope passed Ament saying “Let’s go, Nate,” and “C’mon, Nate.”

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