NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Pros and cons of Shaedon Sharpe final 5 options

Kansas Jayhawks

The Jayhawks are entering the upcoming season as a consensus top-5 preseason team with a loaded roster, thanks to major transfer pickup Remy Martin and the return of Ochai Agbaji for his senior season. They also have a five-star wing commit in MJ Rice in the 2022 class; could they get another top prospect?

Pros

Coach Bill Self has a number of players that have been either “one and done” NBA prospects or have developed over 3-4 years into stars in the Big 12. So Sharpe doesn’t have to go down one specific path if he were to choose the Jayhawks. They’ve made the NCAA Tournament for 32 straight seasons and are all but assured of being a top-4 seed in the event.

There’s also a clear path (not that he needs one) for Sharpe to come in and be the starting center. Agbaji will be gone, as well as 7th-year extra grad transfer Jalen Coleman-Lands. He can start at the two-spot with Rice on the wings, joined by the bevy of top-50 frontcourt recruits coming in this and next year.

Cons

There just aren’t many real reasons why a player of Sharpe’s caliber wouldn’t join the Big 12 juggernaut. The only thing that may be used against the program is the ongoing issue with the NCAA regarding alleged recruiting violations. Oklahoma State got popped for something similar and they were able to appeal their postseason ban, which has yet to be handled.