John Calipari expects Shaedon Sharpe to explore draft waters, hopes he returns

Shaedon Sharpe has a decision to make. On one end, the five-star freshman is a projected lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft without ever playing a minute of college basketball. On the other, he’s inexperienced, with his last live game action coming at the Nike Peach Jam last summer. A lottery pick now, he could fight for the No. 1 overall selection in 2023, resulting in a beefier day-one rookie salary after a year making a fortune through name, image and likeness in Lexington.

From the time he arrived on campus, Kentucky head coach John Calipari has made it clear that Sharpe is expected to return for the 2022-23 season. At one point, he even announced the blue-chip prospect would sit out the remainder of the year to focus on his preparation for next season.

“After talking with Shaedon and his parents, we want to end all of the speculation by again saying that he will not play for us this season,” Calipari announced February 7. “He is committed to bettering himself and our team in practice this year and being better prepared to lead us next season.

Even at the end of the season following Kentucky’s embarrassing opening-round loss in the NCAA Tournament, Calipari said all parties involved decided to “wait” for Sharpe to play until next season — though he considered putting him in late in the year. From a talent perspective, the No. 1 recruit was ready.

“At one point, he and I sat down and talked about it,” Calipari said. “But you know, I think that was what was best for him is how we did it. Would he have been a good player this year? Yeah, he’d been pretty good. He’d have been pretty good. But he joined us midseason. Trying to get him up to all the stuff that we were doing was hard.

“Then it came a point late, maybe we could should have him in there. We just, you know, together, chose, let’s just wait.”

As late as Thursday evening following Kentucky’s loss to Saint Peter’s, Calipari said the plan was for Sharpe to return next season. 20 possible games from the time he arrived on campus, zero minutes played. All chips pushed in for 2022-23.

Just four days later, though, Calipari’s tune has shifted ever-so-slightly. During the final UK HealthCare John Calipari Show of the season, the Kentucky head coach said he sat down with Sharpe and his family and decided it would be in his best interest to test the NBA Draft waters. With teams speaking with him and providing feedback directly, the standout guard will know exactly where things stand regarding his stock.

“Well, we sat down and talked to him,” Calipari said. “You know, I talked to him and I talked to his mom and dad. I think he’s got to explore, but he’s got to make a decision on, ‘Alright, do I want this right now? Am I ready for this right now? Is it where I thought it was, or where people are saying?’

“As you go through the process, this information comes back from the NBA. Not an agent or anybody else around you, it comes from the NBA. You have a better idea of what everything is. And until these kids all get that information, it’s hard.”

His hope? Sharpe receives feedback and decides it’s in his best interest to return to school. After coaching him one semester, Calipari wants a full season of real games with the five-star guard.

“He’s another one, I hope I get a chance to coach him in real games,” Calipari said. “I’ve really enjoyed him in practice and enjoy him as a young person. I mean, he’s one of those guys. He’s a super talent.”

A super talent, indeed. With him, Kentucky has its No. 1 scoring option for next season. Without him, the Wildcats have a superstar-sized hole on the wing, creating an uncomfortable predicament going into the offseason.