College basketball insider comments on John Calipari, Shaedon Sharpe relationship

Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe – a former five-star prospect who never played for the Wildcats – announced Tuesday night that he will remain in the 2022 NBA Draft class. Despite joining John Calipari’s team, he did not see the court and was later ruled eligible to turn professional despite his lack of college experience.

When Shaedon Sharpe reclassified and enrolled at Kentucky midway through the 2021-22 season, the expectation was that the five-star guard would play for John Calipari in 2022-23. However, after going through the NBA Draft process this offseason, the young star opted to turn professional.

However, despite a public show of support earlier in the day, Stadium’s Jeff Goodman sent a tweet which suggests the relationship between the two could be a bit more rocky that either will say publicly.

“Not quite sure we’ll see Calipari at this table in the green room on draft night,” tweeted Goodman.

Over the years, Calipari has become famous for his draft-night appearances where he bounces from table to table congratulating the many former players he is seeing off into the next chapter. From Anthony Davis to Karl-Anthony Towns and many others, nearly every Kentucky player to receive an invite since his arrival has gotten a hug and conversation amongst family before the big moment.                                                             

 John Calipari on Shaedon Sharpe

John Calipari spoke about Shaedon Sharpe’s future on Tuesday, providing a possible hint at where the young star was leaning as the deadline approached and an announcement loomed.

 “I don’t want our fans to be mad at him for doing something he probably has to do,” said Calipari.

Maggie Davis of BBN Tonight reports that Calipari mentioned that “circumstances changed” over the past several months and revealed that he expects the player to become a top-10 pick in the NBA Draft. When paired with the suggestion from Goodman later in the night, the picture of a perfect union between player and coach does not seem present.

The news also comes at a bad time for Calipari and Kentucky, who are looking to bounce back from a disappointing first round exit in the NCAA Tournament and an even worse 2020 performance. The Wildcats still bring back plenty talent and add through the recruiting trail and transfer portal, but will miss this top-10 talent.