The No. 1 prospect in the class of 2022 is officially off the board, as five-star guard Shaedon Sharpe made the call for Kentucky on Tuesday. Sharpe chose the Wildcats over a long list of major programs including Arizona, Kansas and Oklahoma State as well as multiple lucrative professional options.
Below, Rivals.com has a look at what the big news means for John Calipari’s program.
WHAT KENTUCKY IS GETTING
Sharpe is the No. 1 prospect in America for a reason and comes with an incredibly high floor, as his game is college-ready in a lot of ways right now. The five-star guard is an elite athlete that has made noise via highlight reel dunks, but his game is much more than flash.
The 6-foot-5 guard can fill it up from 3-point range, and nobody in the class is more capable of creating his own shot off the bounce. His versatility and explosiveness makes him beyond difficult to defend, and that was apparent during this year’s Peach Jam, which saw Sharpe average 24 points on 47.5-percent shooting against elite competition.
He’s also one of the better rebounding guards in the county and comes with elite length, which will provide tremendous defensive versatility. He’ll need to become more disciplined and active on the defensive end.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE WILDCATS
Sharpe is the second commit in the Wildcats’ 2022 class, joining four-star point guard Skyy Clark. If his ranking holds, he’ll be the first top overall prospect to sign with UK since Skal Labissiere in 2015.
Still, it’s possible Sharpe’s pledge – massive as it is – could be the start of something even bigger. Today’s news may well be the foundation of a super class of sorts, as Kentucky is expected to land five-star guard Cason Wallace when he announces in November. It’s also a serious player for both Dereck Lively (No. 3 overall) and Chris Livingston (No. 8 overall).
And while nothing is a sure thing, there certainly seems to be a non-zero chance that Calipari ends this cycle with four top-10 players in the fold. So much for last year’s 9-16 stumble affecting the Wildcats on the recruiting trail, as the Kentucky brand seems as strong as ever during the dawn of the NIL Era.
IN HIS WORDS
"I see all the players that went through [Kentucky] and through their program and made it to the league. I feel like if I go there I could do the same thing." – Sharpe to Rivals.com’s David Sisk this spring.
