John Calipari Confirms Players Leaving And Those Staying As Reed Sheppard Would Be Staying..
With the NBA Draft upcoming and offseason action for the current Kentucky Wildcats in full swing, John Calipari shared some thoughts on Twitter over the weekend.
On the state of his current team, Calipari discussed how his team has come together and “improved their skills and grown to know and really respect each other.” He also called the summer a “home run.”
In addition to work on the court, Calipari touched on NIL deals and how the team has benefited both individually and as a team to assure “all players benefit.”
“Really proud of our team,” Calipari wrote. “They have come together, improved their skills and grown to know and really respect each other. The summer has been a home run for our program.
“They’ve also taken on NIL, but haven’t just done great deals as individuals. They’re also doing things collectively, coming together to make sure that all players benefit. They’ve used the @KentuckyMBB brand and have achieved significant numbers in a short amount of time
Late last week, Adou Thiero was the first Kentucky Wildcats to announce his desire to enter the transfer portal while leaving the door open for a return to Kentucky. This came as a shock to several members of Big Blue Nation, especially considering Thiero is the exact player Calipari pleaded the team needed in his final 2023-2024 show with Tom Leach.
Yesterday, Justin Edwards announced he plans to enter the NBA Draft and, unlike Thiero, hasn’t mentioned any thought of a potential return to Lexington for another year of college basketball. Coming into the season, this was expected, considering how highly regarded Edwards was as a recruit.
Despite a considerable down season, that opinion of him clearly hasn’t changed in NBA scouting circles, or Edwards likely wouldn’t have entered so early.
With these two both gone or at least on the way out, that leaves so many questions regarding the rest of the Kentucky basketball roster. Here is how I project the final destination of each rotational player head coach John Calipari had this past season.
Rob Dillingham — Departing
This one doesn’t need much elaboration. It was fun, and we wish him the absolute best.
Reed Sheppard — Returning
It just wouldn’t feel right if a Kentucky legacy left after six short months of playing UK basketball. Both of Sheppard’s parents were multi-year players and had pretty decorated careers at Kentucky.
It’s hard to tell how hard they’ll push for their son to make a choice, or if they’ll fully leave the ball in his court.
Either way, his final game of the season was not the Reed Sheppard NBA scouts had been bragging about all season long. A second year in Lexington would be highly beneficial for both Sheppard and next season’s Wildcats.
D.J. Wagner — Returning
Like Edwards, Wagner returning to Kentucky for a second season was an afterthought just six months ago. While Edwards didn’t waste any time making his announcement, he’s a better raw talent and flashed incredible highs during parts of the regular season that Wagner did not. Another year at UK— alongside Sheppard — could be very beneficial.
Aaron Bradshaw — Returning
Did anyone get the vibe that Bradshaw just loves being at UK? He has a tremendous attitude and didn’t let an inconsistent rotation of big men impact how he carried himself with the team. Like Edwards, Bradshaw is incredibly raw with tons of “NBA upside” scouts drool over.
However, another year in Lexington means more time to work on his craft and hit the gym. Not only will he have a second shot at winning at UK, but also increase his draft position.
Zvonimir Ivisic — Returning
Like Bradshaw, Ivisic is incredibly raw. He also had less playing time last season due to the NCAA taking much longer than expected to grant him permission to play at UK. The European big man has a ton of skill with all the upside in the world, but he needs more time. It helps that he and Bradshaw have a strong relationship and one could impact the other.
Ugonna Onyenso — Departing
Instead of Thiero and Edwards, Onyenso leaving felt like it should have been the first departure announced. He’s not released anything yet, but it was just a year ago when Onyenso was in the transfer portal before deciding to come back for a sophomore season.
While he did receive a considerable amount of playing time as the team’s defensive anchor, the team’s frontcourt seems just too crowded for him to stick around for another year.