A basketball player from Kentucky will access the transfer portal as Calipari gets closer to leaving for Arkansas.
On March 21, 2024, in Pittsburgh, following the Wildcats’ 80-76 loss to Oakland in the opening round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari speaks with the media. The final score for UK was 23–10. PER JOHN CLAY | NCAA
Aaron Bradshaw, a former five-star basketball recruit, will use the transfer portal following his season with Kentucky. Bradshaw made his decision on Monday morning, just after it was reported that John Calipari was nearing an official announcement to take over as Arkansas’s next head coach. The future of Bradshaw, who was once thought to be the potential No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class, was far more uncertain even if Calipari had stayed in Lexington.
Bradshaw announced on his Instagram page that, following a single season, he was leaving the UK. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the amazing Wildcats fans, as well as my teammates, coaches, and supporters, for your unwavering support throughout my time at the University of Kentucky,” Bradshaw wrote in the post. It has truly been an honor to represent the blue and white, and I am appreciative of every chance I’ve had to don a Kentucky jersey.
“I want to express my gratitude to Coach Calipari and the entire Kentucky staff for their support and direction at every stage of my journey. Your confidence in me has given me more vigor and resolve, and I’m determined to make you proud on and off the court. I’m grateful to my teammates for supporting me in the fight and motivating me to give it my all. Then, Bradshaw announced that he would enter the transfer portal and that he would put his name in the NBA draft. He declared, “I am excited to discover what the next chapter in my basketball journey holds while continuing to develop and grow each and every day. This has been a lifetime dream of mine.”
“I am grateful for the support and direction I have received at every stage of my journey, from Coach Calipari and the entire Kentucky staff. My motivation and resolve have been strengthened by your faith in me, and I’m determined to make you proud on and off the court. I’m grateful to my teammates for encouraging me to give it my all while fighting with me. Bradshaw then confirmed his decision to use the transfer portal and stated that he would enter the NBA draft. “I’ve always wanted to do this, and I can’t wait to see what the next phase of my basketball career holds as I continue to grow and change every day,” he remarked.
Over the course of 26 games—10 starts—Bradshaw averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest while playing 13.8 minutes. Due to a foot injury sustained in the spring, the 7-foot-1 rookie missed the entire offseason and preseason. However, on December 9, he made a big impression in his second college game, contributing 17 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocked shots in UK’s 81-66 victory over Penn.
That turned out to be one of the few high points of Bradshaw’s brief tenure with the Wildcats. He played comparatively little towards the end of the season, trailing fellow 7-footers Zvonimir Ivisic and Ugonna Onyenso in Calipari’s frontcourt hierarchy. Despite his lackluster freshman performance at Kentucky, Bradshaw’s enormous upside and unrealized potential will make him a sought-after target for other schools in the transfer portal.
Prior to his foot injury, he was thought to be an NBA lottery pick, but according to ESPN’s most recent ranking of the top 100 prospects for this year’s draft, he is currently ranked No. 73 overall. Of the ten Kentucky scholarship players still eligible for the offseason, Bradshaw is only the third to disclose his plans. Adou Thiero, a sophomore forward, has registered on the transfer portal. However, he has left open the possibility of playing in the UK the following season, as he has also registered his name in the NBA draft. Justin Edwards, a rookie guard, declared last week that he would be entering the NBA draft. This year, he could be selected in the first round.
College basketball players can access the transfer portal until May 1st. The 2024 NBA draft has an early-entry deadline of April 27, and players who choose to enter the draft while still having NCAA eligibility have until May 29 to withdraw from consideration and return to their home institution.
As of Monday morning, Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard, D.J. Wagner, Onyenso, Ivisic, Jordan Burks, and Joey Hart were the seven UK underclassmen who had not yet disclosed their plans for the upcoming season.
