![]() Calipari and Sharpe's mentor have publicly stated the plan is for Sharpe to return next season, but NBA draft analysts are still projecting him to enter the draft, where he is a projected top-10 pick in June.Once Davion Mintz announced his welcomed return to Lexington for a sixth and final year of eligibility back in July, the Kentucky men’s basketball roster sat at 12 scholarship players, one that included 13,385 minutes, 5,203 points, 1,917 rebounds, 1,132 assists and 543 3-pointers in total returning production at the collegiate level. Sharpe graduated early to enroll at UK in January but only practiced with the team and did not play in games. 1-ranked prospect Shaedon Sharpe will play for the Wildcats. Kentucky signed consensus top-10 ranked high school prospects Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston to boost its backcourt next season, but the wait goes on to learn if former No. Junior point guard Sahvir Wheeler, the two-time SEC leader in assists, has yet to announce a decision on his future. Little-used reserves Dontaie Allen and Bryce Hopkins are transferring. Super seniors Davion Mintz and Kellan Grady have played their final games as Wildcats. Which guards are on the roster to get the ball to Tshiebwe next season remains a question. ![]() A depth addition to the frontcourt through the portal might still be needed if Kentucky loses multiple players from the group of Brooks, Toppin, Collins and Ware. UK has been linked to Utah State transfer Fardaws Aimaq, the only player in the country who averaged more defensive rebounds per game than Tshiebwe, and Morehead State transfer Johni Broome in the transfer portal but neither player is likely to pick Kentucky with Tshiebwe back on campus. The 6-foot-10 Miller, a stretch forward who could play mostly on the perimeter, is also considering jumping straight to the professional ranks through the NBA's G League. Kentucky has not signed a post player in its 2022 high school recruiting class but did host late-rising Canadian prospect Leonard Miller for a visit over the weekend. He averaged 6.3 minutes per game last season and did not play at all in 6 of 34 games. Ware has given no indication he plans to leave Kentucky, but he undoubtedly would have a greater chance for minutes at another school with Tshiebwe back in the fold. Now, sophomore Lance Ware will have to decide if he is content to return as Tshiebwe's primary backup. Tshiebwe's return could cause ripples on UK's bench. After three inconsistent seasons in Lexington, Brooks could also explore transfer options even if he pulls his name from the draft. Toppin is generally expected to return to UK, but Brooks' decision is less certain. Neither player is projected to be picked in the draft this season, but similar projections have not stopped multiple Kentucky underclassmen from electing to start a professional career anyway in recent years. Junior forwards Keion Brooks and Jacob Toppin have declared for the draft while leaving open the option to return to college. If NIL deals are on the table for Tshiebwe, he could earn more money as the biggest star in college basketball next year through endorsements than as a second-round draft pick bouncing between the G League and an active NBA roster.Ĭiting his student visa status, Tshiebwe declined to elaborate on any new NIL opportunities during the SportsCenter interview. Mitch McConnell to discuss the visa issue. ambassador to the United Nations and a possible Republican candidate for governor in 2023 - met with U.S. Tshiebwe was unable to cash in on his record-breaking season through NIL endorsement deals like his UK teammates because of questions about the effect NIL deals have on the visa status of international college athletes, but there has been renewed optimism in recent weeks from UK that those questions had been resolved.Įarlier this month, Tshiebwe and UK boosters Joe and Kelly Craft - Kelly Craft is the former U.S. "I want to be a lottery pick, but I'm not there yet," Tshiebwe said on ESPN's SportsCenter after announcing his decision. His ability to defend similar-sized players on the perimeter at the next level is also in doubt. The Democratic Republic of the Congo native is undersized to play center in the NBA and has yet to prove he can shoot well enough to thrive in an NBA offense that would likely need him to operate on the perimeter. There are significant questions about how his game translates to the professional level.
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