John Calipari has officially parted ways with Kentucky, he announced Tuesday. In a video posted to social media. Calipari mentioned in that video that he had another opportunity on the table. Less than 24 hours later, Calipari officially became the next coach at Arkansas to replace former coach Eric Musselman, who departed for the vacant job at USC.
Kentucky immediately becomes the top available job on the market, and there will be no shortage of quality candidates for UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart to pick from. Early candidates to succeed Calipari at Kentucky include UConn coach Dan Hurley, Baylor coach Scott Drew, Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, and more.
However, Calipari’s departure will impact Kentucky’s roster and incoming recruiting class. The Wildcats have the No. 2 class in the 2024 cycle by 247Sports, but it’s already taken a hit. Four-star forward Karter Knox announced his decommitment on Monday, and five-star center Jayden Quaintance requested a release from his National Letter of Intent days later.
CBS Sports is tracking the status of the Kentucky roster and recruiting class in real time. Here’s where every current UK player and commit currently stand.
Kentucky underclassmen
Reed Sheppard
GP: 33 | GS: 5 | PPG: 12.5 | RPG: 4.1
Sheppard was named CBS Sports Freshman of the Year after putting up one of the most efficient stat lines in the country. Sheppard made only five starts in 33 games but had an impact whenever he stepped onto the court. Sheppard finished the season shooting 53.6% from the floor, 51.1% on 3-pointers (on 4.4 attempts), and 83.1% from the charity stripe. Sheppard finished five steals shy (82) of breaking the single-season record set by Rajon Rondo during the 2004-05 season. He projects as a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
D.J. Wagner
GP: 29 | GS: 28 | PPG: 9.9 | RPG: 1.9
Wagner ranked as the No. 6 player coming out of high school…
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