Calipari comments on Kentucky basketball recruits for 2022

The first day of the college basketball signing period went exactly as planned for Kentucky.

All four of the Wildcats’ commitments — Skyy Clark, Chris Livingston, Shaedon Sharpe and Cason Wallace — officially signed with the program Wednesday, and they’ll all make their UK debuts next season.

The group was ranked No. 1 nationally coming into the week, but the decision by Sharpe — the No. 1 overall player in the 2022 class — to enroll early at Kentucky has shuffled those rankings. Since Sharpe now plans to graduate from high school early and join UK’s team at the semester break this season, he’s going to be slotted back into the 2021 class, where 247Sports now ranks him as the No. 3 overall recruit behind Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren and Duke freshman Paolo Banchero.

Sharpe plans to join the Cats as a practice player only this winter and still aims to make his college basketball debut in the 2022-23 season.

That move dropped UK from No. 1 to No. 8 in the 247Sports team rankings, however, with Duke assuming the top spot on the list.

No matter how the recruiting analysts choose to classify Sharpe, it’s clear that Kentucky will have an elite group of college basketball newcomers for the 2022-23 campaign. For the time being, it’s the de facto No. 1 recruiting class in the country.

John Calipari is now permitted to publicly comment on his newest recruits, and the program released a statement featuring the UK coach’s first insights on the newest Wildcats.

“I am really excited about this group,” Calipari said. “When you watch these guys play, the talent and upside is obvious, but what stands out to me about all four of them is how much they want this and want to be here. Their mentality and their drive separate them from their peers. They all wanted to play with one another and wanted the challenge of competing against the best every day. Big Blue Nation, I can’t wait for you to meet this group and watch them play.”

Skyy Clark

Clark — a 6-foot-3, 195-pound point guard from Los Angeles — committed to the Wildcats way back in October 2020 and was the first player to officially sign with UK on Wednesday morning. The gifted scorer and playmaker averaged 25.5 points per game as a sophomore before moving to the Nashville area last year. He averaged 28 points and seven assists per game in a junior campaign that was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Expected to be one of the top players on the Nike circuit this past summer, Clark suffered a torn ACL before the start of the grassroots schedule and is still rehabbing from that injury, though he’s expected to be at 100 percent well ahead of his arrival on UK’s campus in June.

Clark is the No. 16 overall player in the 2022 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

“Skyy was our first commitment in this class and is a tremendous leader,” Calipari said. “He’s a skilled point guard who can score it, who can pass it and who can create for his teammates. He has the physicality to get on someone and really guard. He is a terrific playmaker who is really going to mesh well with this group.”

Chris Livingston

Livingston — a powerful, athletic 6-7, 210-pound wing from Akron, Ohio — averaged 31.1 points, 15.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 4.7 steals and 4.0 blocks per game, earning first-team junior all-American honors from MaxPreps.com last season. He was one of the standout players on the Adidas circuit this past summer and has transferred to Oak Hill Academy (Va.) for his senior year.

With Sharpe’s move to the 2021 class, Livingston is now the Wildcats’ top-ranked recruit for 2022, coming in at No. 5 overall in the 247Sports composite rankings.

“Chris has everything that you look for in a wing: athleticism, speed, skill and a physicality to him,” Calipari said. “He can play and guard multiple positions and he can score the ball at all levels, but he can also impose himself physically on both ends of the floor. Chris can really be a challenge for opposing defenses.”

Shaedon sharpe

Sharpe — a 6-5 shooting guard from London, Ontario — burst onto the recruiting scene for Dream City Christian (Ariz.) as a junior last season and ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the 2022 class following his stellar performances on the Nike circuit, where he averaged 22.6 points per game.

His decision to enroll early at UK — and practice with the team in preparation for the 2022-23 season — will lead to the recruiting websites reclassifying him into the 2021 rankings, but he’s still the No. 1-ranked newcomer for next season, and the extra time in Kentucky’s program should only help his development.

“Shaedon has the ability to be one of those guys that we’ve had make a special impact on this program,” Calipari said. “He is an elite scorer with a ton of upside. He’s a 6-5 athlete who I would describe as bouncy. What I love about Shaedon is the work he has put in over the last year to take his game to the next level. I look forward to seeing that work ethic take on a new challenge at Kentucky.”

Cason Wallace

Wallace — a 6-4 combo guard from Richardson, Texas — announced his commitment to Kentucky on Sunday night. The tenacious backcourt player has the reputation as arguably the top perimeter defender in all of high school basketball, and he can score, too. Wallace averaged 15.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game and shot 36.5 percent from three on the Nike circuit, earning regular-season MVP honors in that league.

He led his high school team to the Texas state semifinals last season and led his Nike squad to a 12-1 record on the ultra-competitive EYBL circuit. Wallace is the No. 6 overall player in the 2022 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

“Cason is a winner and a competitor who reminds me of Eric Bledsoe and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,” Calipari said. “I don’t like to make a lot of comparisons like that, but he has a quiet demeanor with a game that speaks loudly. He can shoot it and create for his teammates, but what really separates him is his defense. He is already an elite on-ball defender who takes a lot of pride in that part of the game.”