John Calipari reacts to NBA Draft decisions, Kentucky’s roster: ‘We’ve prepared for all scenarios’
By Keith Farner
Published:
John Calipari is facing a daunting task to rebuild Kentucky’s roster following a slew of departures, and now he’s shared his reaction and plan.
Oscar Tshiebwe and Chris Livingston are staying in the NBA Draft, while Antonio Reeves is returning to college, but evaluating whether to return to Kentucky or play elsewhere. Overall, Calipari is on the verge of losing his top 9 scorers from the 2022-23 team.
“(I)t’s my job to make sure these kids are making informed decisions,” Calipari wrote on social media. “It may not be what you think or I think – but it’s informed. But that also makes it hard to move until you really know what your roster is going to be. We’ve prepared for all scenarios and now we can move forward.”
The Kentucky roster next season will be fueled by 4 of the top 12 recruits in the country, including 6-foot-7 wing Justin Edwards (Philadelphia), 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw (New Jersey), point guard Robert Dillingham (Atlanta) and Bradshaw’s high school teammate, DJ Wagner (New Jersey). There’s also top-35 recruit in guard Reed Sheppard (Kentucky), the son of former Kentucky star Jeff Sheppard.
But fans are interested in the possible transfer of Creighton small forward Arthur Kaluma.
“We want players who want this culture, who care about winning, understand what it means to play at Kentucky – both how hard and how rewarding it is – and have the ultimate drive to win and succeed on the biggest stage, which helps everyone,” Calipari wrote. “We have a talented group right now which isn’t finished yet, but when it’s done we will have a talented team who will chase the ultimate goal together and make #BBN proud.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
