By ADAM ZAGORIA
Kentucky coach John Calipari says 6-foot-5 freshman shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe won’t play this season and is preparing to “lead us next season.”
According to a report from ESPN.com, Sharpe is eligible to apply for this year’s NBA Draft because he finished up his high school graduation requirements before the start of the current NBA season in October.
He is currently projected as the No. 7 pick by ESPN and Bleacher Report, and No. 5 by Tankathon.
“He’s a great athlete with size,” one Western Conference executive said, adding he should spend “one more year” in college.
Sharpe can opt to test the NBA Draft waters this summer and make a decision based on feedback.
Former Kentucky wing Hamidou Diallo initially enrolled at the school in January 2017, tested the NBA draft waters that summer and returned for the 2017-18 season. He now plays for the Detroit Pistons.
After spending the first semester at Dream City Christian (AZ), Sharpe recently enrolled at Kentucky, where he is practicing but has yet to play in a game.
If he returns next season, he would join a recruiting class including point guard Skyy Clark, small forward Chris Livingston and combo guard Cason Wallace.
With Sharpe already on campus and practicing with the Wildcats, Livingston said that gives him an inside look at what to expect going forward.
“I like it a lot because I can call him now and see how everything’s going, seeing where I gotta get mentally and physically prepared to be at,” Livingston said. “So it’s good having one of our teammates already being on campus, actually experiencing practice under Coach Cal so I think that’s a good thing.”
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