Brennan Canada earns scholarship from John Calipari, Kentucky

Kentucky entered the 2022-23 men’s basketball season with 11 players on scholarship. It will end the year with 12.

Walk-on Brennan Canada, a senior guard out of Mount Sterling, KY, has been placed on scholarship by John Calipari. The Kentucky head coach announced the news Monday evening.

“When you talk about what we look for in young people in this program, [Brennan Canada] embodies it all. Unbelievable teammate and student and has brought so much to our teammates in practice,” he wrote on social media. “I think it’s about time we put him on scholarship!! Thank you for what you do for us, Brennan!!”

Calipari discussed his decision to hand out the scholarship during his call-in radio show on Monday, adding that Canada earned it thanks to his efforts in practice. Bouncing around from position to position to help his teammates however he can, the Kentucky head coach said it was time to reward the former George Rogers Clark standout.

“It’s retroactive, so it’ll be a full-year scholarship and he’ll get the summer,” Calipari said. “Here’s a young man that’s played every position. He is an unbelievable teammate and he is a good player — he’s just behind some other really good players. He’s good, can shoot it, is tough, is smart.”

His teammates showered him with cheers after the news was announced, “hooting and hollering” in support of Canada, now in his fourth year as a Wildcat.

“When I went to a team meeting and I called him up and I said, ‘You’re getting a scholarship,’ the team went nuts,” Calipari added. “We should have had it on video but it was within our team and everybody was hooting and hollering and screaming and he was happy and thankful. It’s great that we can do that. I’ve done it with different walk-ons who have earned it and he’s earned it.”

It was a moment that left the 6-foot-5 guard speechless.

“I was really excited and thankful. I was kind of speechless at first, but it was great,” Canada said during Calipari’s call-in radio show on Monday. “The team was celebrating and stuff, it was a good moment.”

Canada came to Kentucky after closing out his high school career as one of the best prospects in the state. He finished his time at GRC with 1,371 career points and 776 rebounds, earning All-District Team and All-District Tournament Team honors three years. A two-year captain, he was named an All-10th Region First Team Selection after averaging 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest.

He had several playing opportunities to choose from, but chose to play for his dream school under John Calipari.

“I waited late my senior year, I was undecided for a while. I had some (offers from) low-majors, mid-majors and didn’t know where I wanted to go,” Canada added. “This opportunity came about and I’ve always been a Kentucky fan. It was kind of a dream come true.”

Four years later, Canada is now a scholarship basketball player at Kentucky.