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Keep up with Kentucky basketball: Key dates to know for the Wildcats’ busy 2023 offseason

Another college basketball season ended in disappointment for John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats, who managed to win their first NCAA Tournament game in four years but advanced no further than that, ousted in the second round of March Madness by Kansas State.

That meant an earlier start to the offseason than Calipari and the Cats would have liked, and it should be an eventful one.

In addition to the annual stay-or-go decisions from Kentucky’s current players — plus some expected additions to UK’s coaching staff — the Cats will go on another international trip this summer, and there will be plenty of dates to circle on the calendar related to recruiting and other offseason activities.

Here’s what to watch as Calipari and Kentucky head toward the 2023-24 season.

April

Regular signing period (April 12): Kentucky already has five commitments for its No. 1-ranked recruiting class of 2023, and all of those players — Aaron Bradshaw, Robert Dillingham, Justin Edwards, Reed Sheppard and DJ Wagner — officially signed with the Wildcats in the fall. It’s possible that UK could add another prospect to its class — like it did with Adou Thiero and Ugonna Onyenso last year — but it’s more likely that any outside additions at this point will come via the transfer portal. The signing period ends May 17, though that date doesn’t matter much. Players can still join teams and sign scholarship papers after the May deadline.

NBA playoffs begin (April 15): With more than two dozen former Kentucky players on NBA rosters, there are certain to be plenty of ex-Cats in the NBA playoffs this spring.

Spring recruiting period begins (April 21): This month is always a big one on the recruiting trail, and college basketball coaches will be able to evaluate prospects with their grassroots teams starting on this date. The Nike EYBL is the biggest league to watch for Kentucky’s recruiting purposes, and it will tip off the 2023 schedule in Atlanta on April 21-23. The EYBL will also have an event in Phoenix on April 28-30 that coaches are permitted to attend. There will also be Adidas events in Iowa and Texas during those April eval periods, while the Under Armour circuit will be in Arizona and South Carolina for those two windows. Of this year’s incoming recruits, Bradshaw, Dillingham, Edwards and Wagner all played in the Nike league last season, while Sheppard played with an Adidas team. UK typically gets more players from the Nike circuit than other leagues.

NBA early-entry deadline (April 23): College basketball players who want to enter their names in the 2023 NBA Draft must do so by 11:59 p.m. on this date. Kentucky is expected to have a few current players go through that process.

May

First day of summer classes (May 15): Different players arrive on campus at different times, but UK’s summer session begins on this date, and that often draws some Wildcats for the upcoming season to campus early. This is the time of year when UK players can start to engage in early summer workouts, pickup games with teammates and other team-building activities ahead of the 2023-24 season. With another foreign trip planned this summer — plus all of the highly touted newcomers on the 2023-24 roster — it should be an important and eventful time behind the scenes of Kentucky basketball.

Nike EYBL continues: College coaches won’t be able to attend these events since they won’t fall under the NCAA’s evaluation period windows, but the recruits on the Nike circuit will have two more league sessions: May 12-14 in Dallas and May 26-29 in Memphis. Even without college coaches on the sidelines, there’s often considerable recruiting news that results from these events as top players in the senior class start to get closer to their college decisions.

NBA Combine (May 15-21): NBA Draft hopefuls will be back in Chicago for the annual league combine, where they’ll perform in front of league scouts. (College coaches are also allowed to attend and evaluate prospects, some of whom could still pull out of the draft and possibly transfer to a new school.) Cason Wallace is the only current Kentucky player widely projected as a 2023 draft pick, though other Cats — such as Chris Livingston, Jacob Toppin and Oscar Tshiebwe — could get invitations to this year’s combine.

NBA Draft lottery (May 16): The order of the first picks in the NBA Draft will be set here. Wallace is projected as a lottery selection, but the Kentucky freshman is toward the back end of that range, so the draft lottery itself probably won’t shed much light on where he’s likely to end up. This will be billed as the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, with the 7-footer from France viewed as a generational talent and no-doubt No. 1 overall pick.

NBA Draft decision deadline (May 31): Stay in the draft or come back to school? Any player that goes through the NBA evaluation process wishing to return for another season of college basketball must remove his name from consideration by 11:59 p.m. on this date. Former UK guard Hamidou Diallo famously waited until the final hour before the deadline to remove his name and return to Lexington a few years ago, so it could be a while before fans know what players like Livingston plan to do with their futures. (There’s also a second withdrawal date on June 12, but any player that waits beyond the May 31 deadline will not retain NCAA eligibility.)

Transfer decisions: Technically, there’s no specific deadline for a player to change schools this offseason. The transfer portal closes May 11, but that date is only set for players to enter their names. They don’t have to actually pick a school by then. Some high-profile transfers have already committed to new schools for next season, others will find college basketball homes in April, and some will wait until May (or possibly beyond) to make a decision. Last year, Antonio Reeves committed to Kentucky on April 27. The offseason before that, UK landed Kellan Grady on March 29, CJ Fredrick on May 5 and Sahvir Wheeler on May 17. So, timelines will vary, but it’s likely that the vast majority of transfers in the portal will find new basketball destinations by the end of May.

June

NBA Finals begin (June 1): The series to crown the next NBA champion starts with Game 1. Will a Kentucky Wildcat win a title? As of now, the betting favorites are the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics, the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets, with Devin Booker (Suns) and Jamal Murray (Nuggets) playing prominent roles for two of those contenders. Several other former UK players are also in position to make the playoffs for contending teams.

NBA Draft (June 22): The annual draft will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and Wallace is likely to be invited to attend the event in person. Will any other Kentucky Wildcats hear their names called?

NBPA Top 100 Camp (June 28): A major recruiting event featuring high school stars from around the country is set for the end of June, with two days of the showcase opened up to college coaches for evaluation purposes. Expect Calipari and some of his UK assistants to be courtside for this one.

Kentucky basketball camps: As always, UK will host a series of basketball camps throughout the month of June, with Father-Son camps (June 9-10, June 16-17, June 23-24), a Father-Daughter Camp (June 18), and an overnight camp for boys ages 7-18 (June 11-14) and “Camp Cal” (June 19-22) already on the schedule. More information on each camp can be found at UKAthletics.com.

July

Kentucky goes to Canada (July 12-16): The details have not been finalized — and UK hasn’t officially confirmed its participation yet — but the Wildcats will be headed north this summer to take part in an event that will give the 2023-24 roster an opportunity for some extended preseason bonding on and off the court. The GLOBL JAM — an event co-sponsored by Canada Basketball — will feature UK representing USA Basketball in a four-team tournament with squads from Canada, Germany and Africa. Kentucky’s games will be played on July 12, 13, 15 and 16 in Toronto. This will give UK fans a chance to see the highly touted 2023 recruits play alongside their future teammates before next season begins.

Summer recruiting heats up: College coaches will get two more opportunities to check out recruits with their grassroots teams, and the biggest will come July 6-9, when the top shoe company circuits will hold season-ending tournaments. The annual Nike Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C., is the big one. Adidas will also play its summer showcase in nearby Rock Hill, S.C., and Under Armour will be in Cartersville, Ga. during those same dates. July 15-16 is also an eval period for coaches as the 2024 landscape should begin to come into greater focus.

August

First day of fall classes (Aug. 21): The fall semester begins for UK students, and preseason talk is sure to be rampant as the full team arrives on campus for good.

September

Fall recruiting period begins (Sept. 9): The annual date that college coaches are allowed to start recruiting off campus. This is when Calipari and his assistants hit several states over the course of a few days, meeting with players, family members and coaches for in-home and in-school visits. By this point, UK’s priorities for the 2024 recruiting class should be pretty clear, and Calipari will start the fall period by visiting his top targets for the following season, sprinkling in trips to see juniors and underclassmen along the way.

October

Big Blue Madness: The date is not yet finalized, but the official season tip-off event for the Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball teams typically occurs in mid-October in Rupp Arena, where Calipari will introduce another No. 1 recruiting class to the UK fans. The Cats are likely to occupy a top spot in the 2023-24 preseason rankings once again this year, despite a recent run of relatively middling results on the court.

November

Early signing period (Nov. 7): Kentucky doesn’t have any commitments for the 2024 class yet. That is bound to change over the next few months, and whoever is committed to UK by the time fall rolls around will be able to officially sign with the Wildcats during a one-week window starting here.

Champions Classic (Nov. 14): The location has not yet been announced, but Kentucky will face Kansas in what is likely to be the first big game of the 2023-24 season. Duke and Michigan State will play in the other game. The Jayhawks have the nation’s No. 5-ranked recruiting class for 2023 and are bound to feature some top returning college players, as well. UK will start the season 10 wins behind Kansas on the NCAA’s all-time victories list.

The Wildcats’ regular-season schedule release keeps getting pushed back further and further each year, and the final slate for the 2022-23 campaign wasn’t officially announced until Oct. 4 — less than two weeks before Big Blue Madness. That delay was partly due to the late addition of the UK-Gonzaga game affecting other previously set matchups, so we’ll probably have the full details of the 2023-24 schedule a little earlier this year. Still, it’ll probably be a few months, at least, before the entire slate for next season is confirmed.

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