Top incoming Kentucky basketball freshman might not be healthy for start of season

The plans for John Calipari’s Kentucky men’s basketball team to take a freshman-led approach to next season hit a significant obstacle Friday afternoon.

NBA insider Shams Charania reported on social media that Aaron Bradshaw — an incoming center and star prospect in the Wildcats’ 2023 recruiting class — has suffered a fracture in his foot.

Charania reported Bradshaw could miss the start of the 2023-24 season for UK, but also that the Kentucky program is “optimistic on full recovery” for Bradshaw.

This news comes as Kentucky is less than a month away from participating in what was viewed as a key offseason event to build reps and find team chemistry with a young group of players.

Beginning July 12, Kentucky will participate in the “GLOBL JAM” in Toronto, a four-team event featuring squads from the United States, Canada, Germany and Africa.

UK will be representing the United States at the event, now possibly with Bradshaw unable to play.

During a previously scheduled press conference Friday afternoon, Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart declined to comment when asked by the Herald-Leader about Charania’s report of Bradshaw’s injury.

On Friday night, Bradshaw participated in the Kentucky men’s basketball team’s father-son camp at the Joe Craft Center.

Bradshaw wasn’t wearing a boot on either of his feet and he participated in basketball activities during the camp.

An offseason of inadequate roster construction meant UK was already likely to be shorthanded for the event.

As of Friday afternoon, Kentucky has only nine scholarship players on the roster for next season.

Six of those players are freshmen, including Bradshaw, who combine to rank as the No. 1 recruiting class in the country.

The other three players are rarely used fifth-year guard Brennan Canada and sophomores forward Ugonna Onyenso and guard Adou Thiero.

That’s it.

The loss of Bradshaw in particular — a 7-foot center who encapsulates modern-day basketball with his ability to play on the perimeter — will especially harm Kentucky due to a lack of depth in the frontcourt.

Currently, Onyenso is the only scholarship big man on the UK roster, although the Wildcats are expected to pick up a commitment soon from Somto Cyril, a class of 2024 frontcourt player who is likely to try and reclassify to the 2023 class and join the Wildcats for this coming season.

Bradshaw is viewed as one of the crown jewels of the 2023 recruiting class for the Wildcats.

The final RSCI (Recruiting Services Consensus Index) rankings for the 2023 class saw Bradshaw check in as the No. 4 recruit in the country.

Bradshaw, despite being 7 feet tall and classified as a center, is expected to play more of a floor-spacing role at the “four” for Kentucky, although concerns also existed with Bradshaw being listed at only 210 pounds, per 247Sports.

A native of New Jersey who was a high school and travel basketball teammate of fellow incoming UK freshman DJ Wagner, Bradshaw committed to Kentucky during Big Blue Madness last October.

Bradshaw received a scholarship offer from Kentucky following the first 2022 recruiting period of the spring.

He remained a Kentucky pledge throughout his senior season at Camden (N.J.) High School, despite rumors of a last-minute courting by the likes of the NBA G-League Ignite program and the University of Southern California.

KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL ROSTER OUTLOOK

Here’s a current breakdown of the scholarship players joining and leaving the Cats from last season, along with the still existing question mark of where Antonio Reeves will play another college basketball season.

Incoming players: Aaron Bradshaw (freshman center), Jordan Burks (freshman small forward), Robert Dillingham (freshman guard), Justin Edwards (freshman small forward), Reed Sheppard (freshman guard), DJ Wagner (freshman guard).

Returning players: Brennan Canada (fifth-year guard), Ugonna Onyenso (sophomore forward), Adou Thiero (sophomore guard).

Outgoing players: Daimion Collins (forward, transferred to LSU), CJ Fredrick (guard, transferred to Cincinnati), Chris Livingston (forward, NBA Draft), Jacob Toppin (forward, NBA Draft), Oscar Tshiebwe (forward, NBA Draft), Cason Wallace (guard, NBA Draft), Lance Ware (forward, transferred to Villanova), Sahvir Wheeler (guard, transferred to Washington).

Yet to be announced: Antonio Reeves (guard, returning to college basketball).