Kentucky point guard Sahvir Wheeler enters the transfer portal after two seasons at UK

Kentucky point guard Sahvir Wheeler has entered his name in the college basketball transfer portal.

Wheeler came to UK two summers ago after spending two seasons at Georgia, and he led the Southeastern Conference in assists during his first year with the Wildcats, repeating the feat after also leading the league in that stat in his second season with the Bulldogs.

As a senior for UK this past season, Wheeler had injury issues and ultimately lost the starting point guard job to Cason Wallace, a projected NBA lottery pick in the 2023 draft. Wheeler ultimately averaged 7.7 points and 5.6 assists in 28.5 minutes per game during his second season as a UK player. He was leading the SEC in assists per game for a third consecutive year before an ankle injury sidelined him last month. Wheeler did not play in enough games to qualify for the league leaderboard.

The ankle injury, suffered in UK’s practice before a Feb. 7 loss to Arkansas, ended up keeping Wheeler sidelined for the final 11 games of Kentucky’s season. He did not play in the NCAA Tournament, despite signaling that he would make his return to the court in the Cats’ first-round game against Providence, and his final game for Kentucky ended up coming on Feb. 4 against Florida.

Wheeler will have one season of college eligibility remaining and is expected to be able to play immediately for his new school as a graduate transfer.

“I talked with Sahvir a few days ago and he decided that he wants to graduate and play one more year because of the injuries he faced this year,” UK Coach John Calipari said in a statement later Monday. “He also wanted a fresh start, and I supported his decision. Sahvir has been a big part of our team and we wish him nothing but the best.”

Calipari is expected to meet with each of Kentucky’s players Wednesday to discuss their future plans.

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