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We could be one step closer toward seeing Shaedon Sharpe suit up for the Kentucky Wildcats.
During his Monday call-in show, head coach John Calipari revealed Sharpe is now practicing with his teammates. He was mainly doing individual work to this point after enrolling for the second semester and joining the team three weeks ago.
However, Sharpe practicing could be just to have enough bodies on the floor, as Kentucky is dealing with injuries to guards Sahvir Wheeler and TyTy Washington.
Calipari didn’t give an update on Wheeler or Washington but admitted that Kellan Grady and Davion Mintz ran the point in practice today, a sign that Wheeler and Washington were unable to go.
Having already lost CJ Fredrick for the season due to a hamstring injury, Kentucky just can’t catch a break when it comes to backcourt injuries this season.
John Calipari: "We may not have any guards tomorrow. We don't know. Thank goodness the game is at 9 (PM), we got a little more time. But we don't know yet. We don't know." https://t.co/1JaIsqvn82
— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) January 24, 2022
Calipari on Shaedon Sharpe: “If he plays, we gotta say we’re only doing these 2-3 things. He’s only been here 2-3 weeks. What does he do? Score the ball. I haven’t decided if he’ll play. We’ll see.”
— TheCatsPause247 (@TheCatsPause247) January 24, 2022
"The last couple of days, he's stepped on the gas a bit." Cal says the team probably wishes he would play. "They've been watching him do some things and looking over at me like, 'C'mon, now.'" https://t.co/Lls2MWRac3
— Jeff Drummond (@JDrumUK) January 24, 2022
That’s certainly not the most positive update regarding Wheeler and Washington as Kentucky gets set to host Mississippi State on Tuesday and play at No. 5 Kansas on Saturday. Washington’s injury appears to be more serious, but losing Wheeler on top of that would be brutal, as we saw Saturday at Auburn when the two were out.
Earlier today, The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker reported that it’s possible both Washington and Wheeler are able to go Tuesday. However, this latest update from Calipari certainly makes it appear both could be out, leaving Grady and Mintz to run the offense after mainly playing off the ball this season.
I still doubt we’ll see Sharpe suit up in the coming weeks, but these injuries are certainly making it a dicier situation. That nugget about his teammates wanting to see him play certainly makes it likelier that Sharpe plays, given that the fear with adding a player like him mid-season could hurt the chemistry. And the fact that he’s now fully practicing with the team opens the door a little more for it to ultimately happen.
But ideally, Kentucky gets Wheeler and Washington back soon and won’t need Sharpe to suit up.
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