John Calipari is staying at Kentucky, so here’s what he has to figure out next
The offseason is now for Kentucky basketball as John Calipari retools the roster and multiple Wildcat players prepare for big decisions regarding their future.
For the third straight year, Kentucky made an early exit from the NCAA Tournament. It’s another huge blow for a basketball program that annually gets some of the best young talent in the country. After a weekend of questions regarding John Calipari’s status as head coach and whether he would be back at the helm of the program, his tone and the words from on his radio show on Monday night suggested that the veteran coach is fully planning on being back with the Wildcats for the 2024-25 season.
On the UK Healthcare John Calipari Show that broadcasts live from Lexington, Ky., Calipari spoke to the fanbase about his plans moving forward. He emphasized particularly acquiring older players to mesh with the young talent that will be coming in this summer.
But before Calipari and Kentucky make portal plans, he has to figure out who will be returning next season and who is leaving the program for the NBA.
Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell are both out of eligibility. That leaves Kentucky with questions on Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard, DJ Wagner, Justin Edwards, Adou Thiero, Zvonimir Ivisic, Aaron Bradshaw, and Ugonna Onyenso.
With Sheppard and Dillingham both projected as top-10 picks, it would be a major surprise to see either star freshman return.
Despite Edwards’ up-and-down year, it also wouldn’t be a surprise if the 6-foot-8 wing entered the 2024 NBA Draft. Edwards remains an intriguing prospect to NBA scouts.
Two major question marks for Kentucky surround Wagner and Bradshaw, the former five-star Camden High School teammates. Will Wagner enter the Draft or will he return for a sophomore season? Meanwhile, there have been rumors circulating about the possibility of Bradshaw entering the transfer portal.
On his Monday radio show, Calipari spoke about getting older and more physical. Thiero provides that plus the experience of having already played under Calipari. That veteran experience, leadership, and knowledge of the game and program is what Kentucky needs to balance out the incoming freshman talent.
Thiero has developed tremendously at Kentucky and has particularly intrigued NBA scouts. One year from now, we could be talking about Thiero as one of the best players in the SEC and a first-round NBA draft pick. Keeping Thiero in Lexington is crucial for offseason roster construction over the next two weeks and heading into the 2024-25 season.
Onyenso entered the portal last off-season but opted to return to Kentucky for the 2023-24 season. Still, rumors of him re-entering the portal haven’t slowed down…
Lastly, we come to Ivisic, the man with the greatest five-minute debut in the history of college basketball.
It’s a major mystery as to what Ivisic will do next year. Will he return to Kentucky? Will he return home like was rumored in December? Or, will he take his shot again at going pro?
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