This could be an unprecedented exodus for Kentucky basketball. Even by Calipari standards.
Kentucky basketball fans learned early on not to expect much in the way of high-level roster retention once John Calipari took over as head coach and steered the program in a different direction.
Before Calipari’s arrival in 2009, the Wildcats didn’t have any one-and-done players in the modern NBA Draft era. That changed in a hurry, with four such Cats — John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton — entering the draft as freshmen following Calipari’s first season in charge.
And that group set the tone for what would come over the next several years: a whole lot of winning coupled with an incredible amount of annual roster turnover, with few Kentucky players hanging around long enough to reach upperclassman status.
But even by the standards of the Calipari era, what’s happening this offseason is on the verge of the unprecedented.
The announcements Wednesday that Oscar Tshiebwe and Chris Livingston would remain in the 2023 NBA Draft — despite neither currently projected to be selected this year — made for unwelcome news for a UK program in desperate need of players. The other big move that was teased Wednesday — that Antonio Reeves will return to college but might not be back at Kentucky — would be a particularly bad sign for a team lacking in a veteran presence for next season.
If Reeves ultimately leaves, it means Calipari will lose nine scholarship players this offseason, the highest number in his 14 years as Kentucky’s head coach. What’s more, the group on its way out of Lexington would be composed of UK’s nine leading scorers from the 2022-23 season. In this scenario, the only two returnees that were recruited as scholarship players would be little-used freshmen Adou Thiero and Ugonna Onyenso, who would join five high school prospects and whoever else Calipari is able to add to the roster between now and the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
This week marked an staggering chapter to the latest series of Kentucky basketball stay-or-go decisions. Here’s how this offseason has compared to every other one in the Calipari era.
2009-10
Departures: Eight
Who left? John Wall (NBA Draft), DeMarcus Cousins (NBA Draft), Patrick Patterson (NBA Draft), Eric Bledsoe (NBA Draft), Darnell Dodson (transfer), Daniel Orton (NBA Draft), Ramon Harris (senior), Perry Stevenson (senior).
Returnees: Four
Who stayed? Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins, Josh Harrellson, Jon Hood.
What happened next? The returning core of Miller, Liggins and Harrellson teamed up with a group of star newcomers to lead Kentucky to the Final Four for the first time in 13 years.
2010-11
Departures: Four
Who left? Brandon Knight (NBA Draft), DeAndre Liggins (NBA Draft), Josh Harrellson (senior), Stacey Poole (transfer).
Returnees: Five
Who stayed? Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, Darius Miller, Eloy Vargas, Jon Hood.
What happened next? Calipari didn’t have many scholarship players on that 2011 Final Four team, but some major contributors came back for another season, helping the Wildcats win the 2012 national championship the following year. That remains Calipari’s only NCAA title.
2011-12
Departures: Seven
Who left? Anthony Davis (NBA Draft), Doron Lamb (NBA Draft), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (NBA Draft), Terrence Jones (NBA Draft), Marquis Teague (NBA Draft), Darius Miller (senior), Eloy Vargas (senior).
Returnees: Two
Who stayed? Kyle Wiltjer, Jon Hood.
What happened next? Calipari lost all six major contributors from his 2012 title team, and while he landed another top recruiting class that offseason, the 2012-13 Wildcats ultimately missed out on the NCAA Tournament, partly due to the season-ending injury suffered by star freshman Nerlens Noel. (Hood sat out the 2011-12 season with an injury, and Ryan Harrow was a redshirt on the 2011-12 team.)
2012-13
Departures: Five
Who left? Archie Goodwin (NBA Draft), Kyle Wiltjer (transfer), Julius Mays (senior), Ryan Harrow (transfer), Nerlens Noel (NBA Draft).
Returnees: Three
Who stayed? Alex Poythress, Willie Cauley-Stein, Jon Hood.
What happened next? This 2012-13 roster had just eight Wildcats who were recruited as scholarship players, but preferred walk-ons Jarrod Polson and Twany Beckham were there to bolster the lineup. Major contributors Poythress and Cauley-Stein helped the following season’s team — dominated by six incoming McDonald’s All-American freshmen — advance to the NCAA title game as a No. 8 seed.
2013-14
Departures: Three
Who left? Julius Randle (NBA Draft), James Young (NBA Draft), Jon Hood (senior).
Returnees: Eight
Who stayed? Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Willie Cauley-Stein, Alex Poythress, Dakari Johnson, Marcus Lee, Dominique Hawkins, Derek Willis.
What happened next? In terms of high-level retention, this was Calipari’s best offseason, and the returnees from the 2013-14 team ultimately led to Kentucky’s “platoon” system the following year. The result was a 38-1 record and UK’s most recent trip to the Final Four.
2014-15
Departures: Seven
Who left? Aaron Harrison (NBA Draft), Karl-Anthony Towns (NBA Draft), Devin Booker (NBA Draft), Andrew Harrison (NBA Draft), Willie Cauley-Stein (NBA Draft), Trey Lyles (NBA Draft), Dakari Johnson (NBA Draft).
Returnees: Five
Who stayed? Tyler Ulis, Marcus Lee, Alex Poythress, Dominique Hawkins, Derek Willis.
What happened next? Calipari lost his top seven scorers from that 38-1 team, but Kentucky still managed to get some talented and proven college players back for the 2015-16 season, when the Wildcats shared the SEC title and finished the campaign ranked No. 10 nationally but were defeated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
2015-16
Departures: Six
Who left? Jamal Murray (NBA Draft), Tyler Ulis (NBA Draft), Alex Poythress (senior), Skal Labissiere (NBA Draft), Marcus Lee (transfer), Charles Matthews (transfer).
Returnees: Five
Who stayed? Isaiah Briscoe, Derek Willis, Dominique Hawkins, Isaac Humphries, Mychal Mulder.
What happened next? It was another offseason of high turnover, but several players returned to Kentucky and had a major impact for a freshman-led 2016-17 team that advanced to the Elite Eight, where the Wildcats lost to North Carolina in heartbreaking fashion.
2016-17
Departures: Eight
Who left? Malik Monk (NBA Draft), De’Aaron Fox (NBA Draft), Bam Adebayo (NBA Draft), Isaiah Briscoe (NBA Draft), Derek Willis (senior), Dominique Hawkins (senior), Mychal Mulder (senior), Isaac Humphries (NBA Draft).
Returnees: Three
Who stayed? Wenyen Gabriel, Sacha Killeya-Jones, Tai Wynyard.
What happened next? UK’s roster suffered a devastating amount of turnover this offseason, with Calipari losing his top six scorers (and eight of his top nine scorers). The following year’s team had an up-and-down season but still managed to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
2017-18
Departures: Seven
Who left? Kevin Knox (NBA Draft), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (NBA Draft), Hamidou Diallo (NBA Draft), Wenyen Gabriel (NBA Draft), Sacha Killeya-Jones (transfer), Jarred Vanderbilt (NBA Draft), Tai Wynyard (transfer).
Returnees: Three
Who stayed? PJ Washington, Quade Green, Nick Richards
What happened next? Washington returned for a sophomore year and led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament before ultimately falling to league rival Auburn in overtime, one victory short of a bid in the 2019 Final Four.
2018-19
Departures: Six
Who left? PJ Washington (NBA Draft), Tyler Herro (NBA Draft), Keldon Johnson (NBA Draft), Reid Travis (senior), Quade Green (midseason transfer), Jemarl Baker (transfer).
Returnees: Four
Who stayed? Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley, Nick Richards, EJ Montgomery.
What happened next? The Cats returned four McDonald’s All-American caliber players for the 2019-20 season and likely would have been a dangerous No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but the postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2019-20
Departures: Eight
Who left? Immanuel Quickley (NBA Draft), Nick Richards (NBA Draft), Tyrese Maxey (NBA Draft), Ashton Hagans (NBA Draft), EJ Montgomery (NBA Draft), Nate Sestina (senior), Johnny Juzang (transfer), Kahlil Whitney (midseason departure).
Returnees: One
Who stayed? Keion Brooks
What happened next? This one takes the cake for the least amount of Kentucky players coming back, with Brooks as the only experienced scholarship Wildcat in the mix for another season. The results were obviously not good: an abysmal 9-16 record amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, limited time to prepare a young roster for the season and below-standard point guard play — among other issues — once the 2020-21 campaign began. (Former Mr. Basketball Dontaie Allen had also been a redshirt freshman on the 2019-20 team, and he was back with the Cats the following season.)
2020-21
Departures: Six
Who left? Brandon Boston (NBA Draft), Olivier Sarr (senior), Isaiah Jackson (NBA Draft), Devin Askew (transfer), Terrence Clarke (NBA Draft), Cam’Ron Fletcher (transfer).
Returnees: Five
Who stayed? Davion Mintz, Keion Brooks, Jacob Toppin, Dontaie Allen, Lance Ware.
What happened next? There were quite a few returnees from the 2020-21 team, including Mintz, the Cats’ leading scorer, and they joined an incoming group of freshmen and transfers for a 2021-22 season that resulted in a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament but ended with a shocking loss to No. 15-seeded Saint Peter’s in the first round.
2021-22
Departures: Six
Who left? TyTy Washington (NBA Draft), Kellan Grady (senior), Keion Brooks (transfer), Davion Mintz (senior), Bryce Hopkins (transfer), Dontaie Allen (transfer).
Returnees: Six
Who stayed? Oscar Tshiebwe, Sahvir Wheeler, Jacob Toppin, Daimion Collins, Lance Ware, CJ Fredrick.
What happened next? Calipari returned a wealth of proven talent for the 2022-23 season, a group led by Tshiebwe, the national player of the year. The season didn’t go as planned. While UK made a late run and won its first NCAA Tournament game in four years, it all ended two days later with a second-round loss to Kansas State. (Fredrick, who transferred in after two years at Iowa, practiced with the 2021-22 team but was injured during warm-ups in the opener and did not play for the Cats that season.)
2022-23
Departures: Eight (or nine)
Who left? Oscar Tshiebwe (NBA Draft), Jacob Toppin (NBA Draft), Cason Wallace (NBA Draft), Chris Livingston (NBA Draft), CJ Fredrick (transfer), Sahvir Wheeler (transfer), Lance Ware (transfer), Daimion Collins (transfer).
Returnees: Two
Who stayed? Adou Thiero, Ugonna Onyenso.
Question mark: Antonio Reeves.
What happened next? We’ll see. As of now, Kentucky has just seven confirmed scholarship players for the 2023-24 season, a roster consisting of two relatively little used sophomores and five incoming freshmen (in addition to Brennan Canada, a walk-on who was put on scholarship toward the end of last season). Reeves could still return, but his withdrawal from the draft and reluctance to immediately recommit to UK — despite more than 10 weeks for the two sides to work things out — isn’t a great look. Whatever Reeves ends up doing, Calipari will surely add to UK’s roster in the coming weeks, with a primary focus on bringing in experienced transfers. But the next Kentucky basketball season could be a major challenge for a head coach in dire need of a postseason run.
The John Clay Podcast: What does Kentucky basketball do now?
Antonio Reeves is returning to college. But he might not be coming back to Kentucky.
Oscar Tshiebwe is leaving Kentucky. How can UK fill the void left by his departure?
Chris Livingston is staying in the NBA Draft. Here’s what that means for Kentucky.
Kentucky has a new assistant coach. Here’s what the ‘Basketball Benny’ will bring to UK.
Cason Wallace looks back on his time at Kentucky, ahead to the NBA. ‘I have no regrets.’
What’s going on with Kentucky’s 2023-24 basketball schedule? Here’s the latest.
