Shaedon Sharpe is not on campus yet, Calipari says

Shaedon Sharpe is set to enroll at Kentucky for the spring semester. The first day of classes is January 10, but according to John Calipari, the five-star phenom is not on campus yet.

“He’s not here yet,” Cal told reporters on Zoom after Kentucky’s win over High Point.

Whenever Sharpe does arrive, he’ll join a team that is rolling. Kentucky’s 92-48 rout of High Point was its fourth straight dominant performance and comes ahead of the biggest test since Duke, a trip to No. 16 LSU on Tuesday. Sharpe and his family have said the plan is for him to sit out the spring semester to prepare for the 2022-23 season (he is not eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft). After Kentucky’s loss to Notre Dame, the appeal of Sharpe playing was obvious. After four straight big wins, is that still the case?

“We haven’t talked about (him playing), the family hasn’t talked about it,” Calipari said. “My guess would be, he’s fine. Let’s get him in shape and go from there. There was never a plan to play him. I left that out there so everybody would panic, but there has never been a plan to play him. But, let’s get him here and work him out, see how things are, and see how our team is.”

That last sentence should tell you the real story. When the No. 1 player in his class joins your team, you’re going to see if he wants to play.

While we wait for Sharpe to arrive, here’s a primer on what to expect from Ant Wright: