John Calipari did not consider playing Shaedon Sharpe at Auburn

When the injury bug bites, it bites hard. At one point in the second half Kentucky was without TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler, limiting John Calipari’s options in the backcourt. Despite the dramatic disadvantage, Kentucky’s head coach did not consider playing his top-ranked midyear enrollee, Shaedon Sharpe.

“It wouldn’t have been fair to the kid,” Calipari said in his postgame press conference. “I just wish we had a bunch of practice time where I had two weeks with him to where we could run three or four different things, and him defensively play because he’s a terrific player.”

Sharpe was the top-ranked player in his recruiting class before he decided to start college early, enrolling at UK for the spring semester. He has practiced with the team, yet to this point it’s unclear to the extent. Calipari previously indicated that most of Sharpe’s early time on the court was spent conditioning.

This week the uncertainty surrounding Sharpe’s status grew exponentially when ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported the shooting guard will be eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft. Calipari stated Friday the plan has not changed and Sharpe still intends to play for the Wildcats this fall.

“I have told his parents that I am not going to put him in a position where he hurts himself,” he reiterated Saturday. “I am not. And we’re going to do this, the process of this, and if he ends up playing this year because he’s capable of doing it and he can play, we’ll play him. But I’m not just shoving him in so we can win another game or stay closer. I’m not going to do that.”

While that sentiment is ultimately what’s best for the individual, there was a time during the Auburn loss where it looked like the team really needed Sharpe. If Washington must miss multiple games, Bryce Hopkins and Dontaie Allen are UK’s only other options. Debuting on the road at future No. 1 Auburn would have been a tall ask for the freshman. However, asking the future top ten pick to be ready in a different setting might be necessary for UK to maintain its momentum in SEC play.