Shaedon Sharpe, the nation’s No. 1 college basketball recruit, is considering enrolling at Kentucky for the upcoming second semester, sources told ESPN.
No decision has been made yet, sources told ESPN, and Sharpe doesn’t plan on playing in games this season even if he does enroll early. He would redshirt and practice with the team before playing during the 2022-23 season. It’s a path similar to Hamidou Diallo, who enrolled at Kentucky in January 2017 before sitting out the rest of the season and playing in 2017-18.
Sharpe committed to Kentucky in early September, choosing the Wildcats over a list that included Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma State and the G League Ignite.
“It was a tough decision, but I felt they had a clear plan for me as I work to play at the highest level,” Sharpe told ESPN at the time. “Coach Cal took the time to understand who I was as a person and how to get the best out of me. Kentucky felt the most like home to me. I get the sense that I can grow to reach my potential on and off the court at Kentucky given the platform, atmosphere and legacy.”
A 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Canada who attends Dream City Christian (Arizona), Sharpe vaulted to the No. 1 spot in the 2022 class following a dominant summer. He led the Nike EYBL circuit in scoring, averaging 22.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 12 games with the UPlay Canada program. Sharpe shot 55.6% from inside the arc and 36.1% from 3-point range, making 2.5 3-pointers per game.
Sharpe is currently the centerpiece to Kentucky’s No. 2-ranked recruiting class, with fellow five-stars Chris Livingston and Skyy Clark also committed for the 2022-23 season.
247 Sports first reported Sharpe’s potential early enrollment.