John Calipari Trying to Get Shaedon Sharpe to Return to Kentucky, Forgo NBA Draft
Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe has announced his intention to enter the NBA draft, but Wildcats head coach John Calipaari said it's not a done deal.
"All I can tell you is he may do this, but it is not done," Calipari said Friday on SportsTalk with Dan Issel and Mike Pratt on ESPN 680 in Louisville (h/t ESPN's Myron Medcalf).
"Nothing has changed in the last two months about how we're going about this. I'm talking to his mother and father, and we're talking once a week. I'm not overbearing with the stuff, but they will play a part in this."
Sharpe tweeted on Thursday that he was entering the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility:
Sharpe did not play for Kentucky in 2021-22. The plan was for him to sit this season out and lead the Wildcats in 2022-23, per Calipari.
However, that plan appears to be in jeopardy now.
Sharpe is already highly ranked on draft analysts' boards. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (seventh), ESPN (sixth),ย CBS Sportsย (fifth) andย The Ringerย (sixth) all have him in the top seven.
Perhaps Sharpe can improve his draft stock with a year at Kentucky, but he appears destined to be a top-10 pick without even setting foot on a college court. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him cash in on the predraft hype and jump to the NBA given his immense potential.
Even without Sharpe, Kentucky should be loaded next year with a pair ofย top-10 recruitsย in Chris Livingston and Cason Wallace. With him, Kentucky should be among the preseason favorites to be No. 1 in the nation.
For now, Sharpe's basketball future is a big question mark given the contrast of his declaration and Calipari's recent comments.
