No. 1 recruit Shaedon Sharpe will not be eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft

The best-case scenario has unfolded for John Calipari and the Kentucky basketball program when it comes to No. 1 overall prospect Shaedon Sharpe.

The five-star guard committed to Kentucky back in September and has been mulling an early enrollment, one that would land him in Lexington in January. Sharpe made that move official Tuesday, announcing that he would be enrolling early and redshirting before returning to Kentucky in 2022-23.

On the surface, it’s a win-win scenario for all parties involved. A superstar recruit gets on campus early to practice with the team, work with the strength and conditioning staff, build chemistry and get used to life as a college basketball player. It’s a way to get a head start on the competition going into the following year.

But what about the NBA Draft? Could there be a scenario where Sharpe enrolls early, redshirts, then enters the draft in the spring without playing a single minute of college basketball? Hamidou Diallo considered that exact scenario back in 2017, waiting until the final minutes of the withdrawal deadline before announcing his return to school, and he was considered a fringe first-rounder at the time. How would a potential top-three pick like Sharpe turn down that opportunity?

According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Sharpe won’t even get that opportunity because he will not be eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft.

“He will not be eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft since he did not graduate high school prior to the NBA season starting,” Givony wrote on Twitter. “He’ll be eligible for NIL deals, though, and will likely cash in big time.

“The difference between Sharpe and Hamidou Diallo is Diallo graduated high school prior to the NBA season and thus had the option to declare for the NBA Draft after leaving his post-graduate institution (Putnam Science) and enrolling at Kentucky at semester break.”

It’s the first official confirmation that Sharpe has not yet graduated from high school, thus making him ineligible. NBA rules state a player must be one year removed — one full NBA season — from graduation and at least 19 years of age. Sharpe will meet the age requirement, but his graduation status had been unclear up to this point.

Givony cleared up those uncertainties on Tuesday.

“The NBA CBA specifies pretty clearly that to be NBA Draft-eligible both: The player (A) is or will be at least 19 years of age during the calendar year in which the Draft is held, AND (B)…at least one (1) NBA Season has elapsed since the player’s graduation from high school,” Givony wrote. “This rule pertains to players who have been based in the US in the 3 years prior to their first NBA Draft year.

“Sharpe went to high school in Kansas and Arizona, and thus is not an international player (for whom HS graduation timing is irrelevant) according to NBA draft rules.”

Sharpe announced his decision to enroll early Tuesday morning, breaking down the move with Jason Jordan of Sports Illustrated.

“I won’t play this season, but 100% I will be at Kentucky to play next season,” said Sharpe. “… That’s a definite for me. I love everything about Kentucky, so I’m looking forward to that.

“… The work is what excites me; just seeing my game grow. My goal now is to get down there and get better every day. I’m still gonna help the team this season because I’ll be pushing the players and they’ll be pushing me in practice. It’s a win-win for everybody.” 

Doesn’t get much better than that.