More momentum for Kentucky in pursuit of five-star basketball recruit Shaedon Sharpe
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Rivals.com national analyst Jamie Shaw is the latest basketball recruiting insider to log a prediction in favor of Kentucky for Shaedon Sharpe as the UK buzz surrounding the five-star prospect intensifies.
Sharpe — a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Ontario — is one of the most athletic perimeter players in high school basketball, and his skill set has caught up to that athleticism over the past year. As a result, he’s rocketed up the 2022 recruiting rankings, moving to the No. 8 overall spot in the 247Sports ranks and No. 11 nationally on Rivals.com’s list.
He could rise even more in those rankings, and he could also end up as UK’s next commitment for the 2022 class.
Sharpe took his first official visit to Kentucky in June, and, so far, that’s the only such trip he’s taken in his recruitment. He took an unofficial visit to Arizona, where he plays his high school ball, later that month. Even before the Kentucky trip, there was considerable talk in recruiting circles that the Wildcats would be the team to beat for Sharpe’s commitment.
He plays for the same Nike-backed summer program that produced Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Sharpe’s team director and basketball mentor, Dwayne Washington, has had nothing but good things to say about UK Coach John Calipari.
It was no surprise that Calipari was in the stands for both of Sharpe’s games Friday, the first day of Nike league play this summer and the opening day of the second July recruiting period. Sharpe averaged 29.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in those two contests, drawing rave reviews from talent evaluators in attendance. He was also 8-for-16 from three-point range in those two games.
Shaw’s FutureCast pick, which was logged Friday, coincides with the pro-UK buzz surrounding his recruitment. Travis Branham, who covers recruiting nationally for 247Sports, logged a Crystal Ball pick for Kentucky earlier this month. 247Sports national analyst Eric Bossi said in his blog from the Nike competition Friday that “most figure” Sharpe is leaning toward the Wildcats.
There is no set timetable for Sharpe’s college decision.
