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Calipari's Final Draft Recap

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  Forty-eight is the final number of players that John Calipari sent to the NBA, through the draft, from the University of Kentucky. The first 2-day NBA Draft saw 3 players drafted out of Lexington: Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham, and Antonio Reeves. This may have been the last draft for a while that consists of this many Kentucky players, for better or for worse. Let’s dive into the results of the draft in the final year of Kentucky being an NBA factory. The first Wildcat drafted was Kentucky’s very own Reed Sheppard. The homegrown talent was a massive surprise, to say the least, in his lone season at Kentucky. 247 Sports had Sheppard ranked as the 79th best recruit in the country after his senior year of high school, and he most certainly outplayed that ranking. Despite coming off the bench in college (which is a conversation for later) he made waves in the basketball world due to his unbelievable shooting and impressive on-ball defense. Sheppard led the nation in 3 point percenta
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The Final Stretch

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The final stretch is here and March is just around the corner. Sitting at 21-5 and 2nd place in the Southeastern Conference, the Kentucky Wildcats have been nothing short of phenomenal. The Wildcats were on a roll, earning a 6-game win streak prior to the disappointing loss in Knoxville, Tennessee on Tuesday. It seems that every time we lose, star freshman TyTy Washington has been compromised. Washington missed the vast majority of the game against the Volunteers after trying to play through a left leg injury picked up against Florida.                                    Photo by Chet White | UK Athletics      Losing any game seems bad on the surface, but when you look at the long-lasting impact it has on a team, there are many more benefits than one would expect. Kentucky needed at least one more humbling loss before entering SEC tournament play. Kentucky forward Jacob Toppin said it best: “It’s a wake-up call and now we’re going to dial back in. We’re going to lock in and we’re goin
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Calipari Finds Kentucky's Next Big Star

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     The time has finally come. Shaedon Sharpe is the first #1 overall high school recruit to commit to Kentucky since Anthony Davis, the former NCAA Player of the Year as a freshman and an Olympic, NCAA, and NBA champion. Davis committed to Kentucky over 10 years ago and is widely seen as the greatest Kentucky player to ever do it. Will Shaedon be able to match Anthony Davis’s near-perfect resume? Not expected. But can he? It’s certainly possible. (Photo: Twitter/@ShaedonSharpe)     The 6-5 shooting guard out of Glendale, Arizona is one of the most athletic players I’ve ever seen out of high school. His scoring abilities paired up with Skyy Clark’s incredible playmaking and shot-creating is sure to be one of the best backcourts to ever enter Rupp Arena. Not only is Sharpe a strong and explosive guard, but he is also a great catch-and-shoot guy with a near-flawless mid-range jumper. He also has the rare ability to get low and keep defenders on his hip while also being capable of elev
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Kentucky Basketball 2021-22 Season Preview

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  After a very eventful offseason, the 2021-22 Kentucky basketball roster is finally set. After hiring 2 new coaches and bringing in 7 new players, the Wildcats are ready to take on Duke in Madison Square Garden come November 9th. Let’s take a look at this year's team.  The point guard spot is really open to anybody, but I see Sahvir Wheeler as the most likely candidate to secure the job. Sahvir is a phenomenal playmaker who is sure to make the offense run smoothly and create shots for the 4 excellent players around him. Standing at only 5’8, Sahvir is a strong and quick point guard who is experienced enough to take the Cats a long way. However the Georgia transfer may take the starting job, I still expect TyTy Washington to get big minutes off the bench. (Photo: UK Athletics) Up next, I fully expect 6th-year senior, Davion Mintz, to be running the shooting guard for us this season. Arguably our best player last season, Davion is coming back hungry and prepared to lead this t
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Is TyTy Washington the Savior of Kentucky Basketball?

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  The point guard gap has finally been filled. Arizona-made, 5-star point guard TyTy Washington committed to Kentucky on Wednesday. “I’m going to be taking my talents to the University of Kentucky,” TyTy said as he unzipped his jacket and revealed his “Just Us Wildcats” merch on his Instagram Live stream. Washington fits the Kentucky system almost perfectly. The 6’3, 185 pound guard can score from anywhere on the court with his fantastic shot creating and smooth jump shot. TyTy is also a scrappy defender with a tireless work ethic. Washington averaged about 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists per game last season for the AZ Compass Prep team. After decommitting from Creighton, TyTy ultimately chose Kentucky over LSU, Kansas, and his hometown Arizona Wildcats. Wherever TyTy decided to take his talents, he was bound to be a star.  (Photo: Brian Rothmuller, Getty) TyTy Will be joining 5-star Daimion Collins and 4-star Bryce Hopkins in Kentucky’s 2021 recruiting class. Following Nolan H
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What the CJ Fredrick commitment does for Kentucky

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     Calipari has finally answered our call for shooters. Iowa transfer CJ Fredrick committed to Kentucky on Wednesday. Fredrick stands at 6’3, 190 pounds. In his 2 years with the Hawkeyes, CJ put up about 9 points per game on an outstanding 47% from beyond the arc.  The shooting trio of CJ Fredrick, Kellan Grady, and Dontaie Allen is sure to shift Kentucky basketball to a more modern style of play. Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe said earlier this year that Kentucky will be using a “4-out” offense this upcoming season. A 4-out offense is where a team uses four 3-point shooters outside of the arc with 1 big man down in the paint. With all of these recent commitments and bringing back Allen, this gameplan would certainly fit our squad. Kentucky is now loaded with shooters and I can’t wait to see what CJ brings to the table for us. (Photo: Sarah Stier, Getty)
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The Return of Greatness

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  Finally some good news. As announced on Monday, Orlando Antigua and Ron “Chin” Coleman will be filling the 2 gaps on Kentucky’s coaching staff. Let’s go over what this means for the program as we look to complete our roster ahead of the 2021-2022 season. (Photo: Michael Allio, Getty) Chin Coleman After coaching at Nebraska and UIC, Coleman landed his first major job with the Fighting Illini. As we know, Illinois was one of the best teams in the country last season and Coleman deserves to be credited for such. One of the major things Chin did for the program was play a key role in the development of one of the Nation’s best guards, Ayo Dosumnu. With a bunch of returning players, Chin Coleman will play a major role in getting Kentucky basketball to where they want to be. Orlando Antigua Here’s where the fun begins. Orlando initially joined Kentucky’s staff along with Calipari in 2009. Being with the Cats until 2014, Orlando and Cal accomplished a ton of great things together. The
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