Tag: Kentucky Wildcats

Sharpshooter Reed Sheppard announces decision to declare for NBA draft

Sheppard was the only player in the country to record at least 145 assists, 80 steals and 75 3-pointers.

Kentucky freshman Reed Sheppard announced Thursday on social media that he will forgo his remaining college eligibility and declare for the 2024 NBA draft.

Sheppard was named the SEC Freshman of the Year after averaging 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals on 52.1% shooting from 3-point range. He had seven 20-point games, including a season-high 32 points and the game-winning shot on Feb. 27 against Mississippi State.

He was also named to the All-SEC second team.

The 6-foot-3 guard led the country in 3-point percentage and finished 10th in total steals (82). He was the only player in the country to record at least 145 assists, 80 steals and 75 3-pointers, and just the second in program history with 80 or more steals in a season.

Sheppard is projected to be a lottery pick this year. He is considered perhaps the best shooter in the draft after converting at an absurd clip on 4.4 attempts per game. He connected on at least three 3-pointers 12 times and twice hit seven 3s in a game.

The 19-year-old has been more than a shooter, though, ranking 13th in the country in defensive box plus-minus (plus-5.0) and 12th in steal percentage (4.6). He has a knack for picking up full court at times and has shown tremendous instincts on that end of the floor.

The 2024 NBA draft will take place June 26-27 in New York City.

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Duke finalizing agreement to take on Kansas in Las Vegas for neutral site game, per Jon Rothstein

Duke and Kansas are finalizing an agreement for a non-conference matchup in November.

Duke’s already challenging non-conference schedule for 2024 is about to get even more difficult.

Jon Scheyer and his soon-to-be-revamped Blue Devils team will take on another college basketball blue blood in Kansas this November.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, one of college basketball’s biggest insiders, confirmed that the two legendary programs are in the process of finalizing a November matchup in Las Vegas.

No official announcement is imminent, and a date and time have yet to be decided upon, but things are in motion behind the scenes.

The last time these two titans faced off was in the Champions Classic in 2022, Jon Scheyer’s first season as Duke’s head coach following the departure of Coach K. Kansas went on to win that game 69-64 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks finished the game on a 15-5 run over the final 4:37. In total, Duke is 8-6 all-time against the Jayhawks.

Bill Self will bring a revamped roster as he looks to improve upon a less-than-stellar season by Kansas standards. The Jayhawks made the Sweet 16, but they were often injured and didn’t have the depth necessary to compete.

The Jayhawks have been aggressive and active in the transfer portal, landing new names like AJ Storr, Zeke Mayo, and Michael Ajayi for their roster. They also are returning Hunter Dickinson and Dajuan Harris.

If the two schools reach a final agreement, Duke will play Arizona, Kentucky, and Kansas as part of its non-conference schedule in 2024.

College Sports Wire lays out five potential landing spots for Duke transfer Jeremy Roach

The four-year Duke starter entered the transfer portal on Tuesday, meaning he could go anywhere for his final season. According to College Sports Wire’s Andy Patton, however, there are a few favorites.

Longtime Duke starter Jeremy Roach, a member of the Final Four run in 2022 and the Elite Eight run this past season, declared for the NBA draft on Tuesday.

However, he also retained eligibility and entered the transfer portal, and the consensus seems to be that he’ll exercise his last year of college basketball with another school. But where?

College Sports Wire’s Andy Patton released an article on Wednesday detailing the five most likely landing spots for the four-year Blue Devil.

Patton first cited an Adam Zagoria report that said St. John’s, Arkansas, and Kentucky were the top options for Roach. The College Sports Wire writer had St. John’s first on his list because of the departures of Nahiem Alleyne and Glenn Taylor Jr., saying head coach Rick Pitino could make waves with Roach’s commitment.

After the Razorbacks and Wildcats, listed second and third in order, Patton had Dan Hurley and the Connecticut Huskies as a fourth potential suitor. The two-time defending national champions will lose Tristen Newton, Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, and more this offseason.

“Roach is the perfect veteran for Hurley to bring into the mix, with his combination of floor spacing and lead guard facilitation a great first addition for the Huskies to build around,” Patton wrote.

Rather than a fifth college team, however, Patton said that the NBA could be a likely suitor for Roach. The College Sports Wire writer believes a good pre-draft process could make the pros a possibility.

“While his age and size may limit his prospects, if he performs well during workouts, he could get a promise from a team as a second-round pick or priority free agent signing,” Patton concluded.

Three schools in the lead for Jeremy Roach’s next home, per report

Jeremy Roach, who announced he would entered the transfer portal on Tuesday, is likely to end up in one of three places according to one report.

Four-year Duke veteran Jeremy Roach announced on Tuesday night that he’d declare for the NBA draft while retaining college eligibility, entering the transfer portal.

The move effectively ensured Roach won’t play in Durham next season, meaning Blue Devils fans will say goodbye to the last remaining player who started for Mike Krzyzewski. But where will the guard go next?

According to a Tuesday night report from basketball reporter Adam Zagoria, the three early favorites for Roach’s next destination are St. John’s, Kentucky, and Arkansas.

St. John’s is now coached by Rick Pitino, who led both Kentucky and Louisville in previous decades. The Red Storm finished with a 20-13 record last season, ranking 21st in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metric (the highest of any team left out of the NCAA Tournament).

On the other hand, both Kentucky and Arkansas are going through coaching changes. Longtime Wildcats head coach John Calipari left for the Razorbacks at the conclusion of the season, and Kentucky brought in former BYU coach Mark Pope to replace him.

Zvonimir Ivisic first transfer portal addition for John Calipari at Arkansas

Former Kentucky sophomore big man Zvonimir Ivisic is transferring to Arkansas to follow coach John Calipari.

The first big domino of the Kentucky coaching change fell on Monday afternoon when Croatian big man Zvonimir Ivisic announced he is transferring to Arkansas to follow coach John Calipari.

Ivisic entered the transfer portal over the weekend and has now become the first player to leave the Wildcats following the hiring of Mark Pope as head coach, and the first Kentucky player to officially follow Calipari to Fayetteville.

“I made the lifetime decision to come to college for [a] few reasons,” Ivisic wrote on social media. “Main ones to win a national championship and go to the NBA. Monumental part of that decision was coach Cal, and no one does both of those at the same time than him. That’s why I am excited to announce that I am committing to coach Cal and Arkansas Razorbacks.”

‘Big Z’ didn’t suit up for Kentucky until January 20 due to NCAA issues, but in his first five minutes of college basketball action the 7’2 big man dropped 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two blocks while going 3/3 from the three point line against Georgia.

He never quite found that level of dominance again, finishing his freshman campaign averaging 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks.

It’s no surprise to see Ivisic follow Calipari, who recruited him overseas and tirelessly worked to get him eligible last year. He becomes Cal’s first addition at Arkansas and should play a big role for the Hogs in his second season.

Meanwhile, Kentucky continues to see defections following Calipari’s departure and the hiring of Pope, although the new coach has been active in trying to rebuild a roster that earned a three seed last year before once again losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Ohio State basketball lands huge commitment through the portal

Big news! #GoBucks

With John Calipari out the door at Kentucky after a surprising move to Arkansas many of the Wildcats players and recruits have decided to go elsewhere.

Thus far Kentucky has had four recruits decommit and three players enter the transfer portal. Among those to enter the transfer portal is 7-foot-1, 226 pound center, Aaron Bradshaw.

He appeared in 26 games with 10 starts in his true freshman season this year where he played an average of 13.7 minutes per game averaging 4.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks for the Wildcats.

Bradshaw is a good rim protector with a high ceiling on both ends of the floor. He was a highly sought after recruit in the 2023 class as he ranked as the 4th overall player and top center in the class on the 247Sports Composite rankings.

This is a massive addition for the Buckeyes as between Felix Okpara and Bradshaw, they have two good options in the front court with both providing excellent rim protection and improving offensive games.

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Kentucky guard, former top recruit D.J. Wagner to enter transfer portal

Former top recruit D.J. Wagner to reportedly enter the NCAA transfer portal, becoming the fourth Kentucky Wildcat to do so after John Calipari left.

The roster dominoes continue to fall for the Kentucky Wildcats, as another player has reportedly entered the transfer portal in guard D.J. Wagner.

Wagner was an impact player as a freshman for the Wildcats this past season, starting in 28-of-29 games. The freshman guard averaged 9.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 3.3 APG, while also shooting 40.5% from the field, as well as 76.6% from the free throw line.

A former top recruit out of high school, Wagner was one of the top prospects from Kentucky’s 2023 recruiting class, rated as a five-star point guard out of Camden, New Jersey. There, Wagner was considered the No. 6 player in the nation according to the 247Sports composite rankings, as well as the nation’s top point guard.

Wagner is now the fourth Kentucky player to enter the transfer portal since former head coach John Calipari left for the same position at Arkansas, as he joins Aaron Bradshaw, Joey Hart, and Zvonimir Ivisic.

Kentucky loses multiple commitments following Calipari departure

Kentucky’s 2024 class looks a bit different today than it did a week ago.

To keep things simple, this past week has certainly been a crazy one for the Kentucky Wildcats basketball program.

After news broke Sunday night that long-time head coach John Calipari was leaving Kentucky for the same position with the Arkansas Razorbacks, the attention then turned to the Wildcats 2023-24 roster, which has begun to change as well.

This has included star freshman Rob Dillingham declaring for the 2024 NBA draft, while forward Aaron Bradshaw has since entered the transfer portal.

However, where Calipari’s departure has likely been felt most is with the Wildcats 2024 recruiting class, which certainly looks significantly different now than it did a week ago.

Kentucky’s 2024 class entered the week among the best in college basketball, but have seen three signees – Jayden Quaintance, Karter Knox, and Somto Cyril – be granted their releases from NLIs to re-open their recruitments. All three are considered as top 50 prospects in the class, with Quaintance and Knox both being rated as five-star recruits.

As for what remains in Kentucky’s class, the Wildcats still have two signees in Boogie Fland and Travis Perry, as well as another commitment in Billy Richmond. Of the three, both Fland and Richmond are considered as five-star prospects.

Will the departures continue for the Wildcats, and if so, could some of these names potentially follow Calipari to Arkansas?

John Calipari officially announced as new Arkansas head coach

The Arkansas Razorbacks have officially named their new head coach.

After news broke a few nights ago that he would be leaving Lexington for Fayetteville, John Calipari has now been officially named the newest head basketball coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Calipari, who comes from the Kentucky Wildcats, replaces former Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman, who left Fayetteville for the same position with the USC Trojans earlier this month.

The long-time Kentucky coach has spent the past 15 seasons in Lexington where he held a combined 533-410 record as the head coach of the Wildcats. During that span, Calipari was a multi-time SEC Coach of the Year and won a national championship in 2011-12 season.

However, Calipari has struggled in recent years when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, even despite having made the Big Dance each of the last three years. This has included a pair of round of 64 exits, as well as once in the round of 32.

Calipari is also coming off a 2023-24 season in which he led the Wildcats to a 23-10 record. They were bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Oakland.

Looking ahead, Calipari now takes over an Arkansas program that finished this past season at 16-17 overall and 6-12 in SEC play. Arkansas has also made the NCAA Tournament three of the last four years, headlined by Elite Eight appearances in two of those seasons.

Will John Calipari now bring his past success on both the basketball court and recruiting trail to Fayetteville?

Kentucky freshman, potential top pick Rob Dillingham declares for 2024 NBA Draft

Kentucky freshman guard Rob Dillingham declares for NBA Draft.

After an exciting first season with the Kentucky Wildcats, talented freshman guard Rob Dillingham officially announced Tuesday afternoon that he would officially be foregoing his remaining collegiate eligibility to enter the 2024 NBA Draft.

This past season, Dillingham was a key factor in Kentucky’s success, as the guard averaged 15.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 3.9 APG. Dillingham also ranked among the SEC’s leaders with a 44.4 3P%, while also shooting 47.5% from the field, as well as 79.6% at the free throw line.

As you’d expect with those numbers, Dillingham certainly received multiple honors this past season as well, headlined by the 2023-24 SEC Sixth Man of the Year. Starting only 1-of-32 games, Dillingham also was named Second Team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman.

Dillingham is projected to be a top 10 pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

For more on Dillingham and the Kentucky Wildcats, check out Wildcats Wire.

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