Kentucky center Aaron Bradshaw has officially entered the transfer portal following the news of head coach John Calipari leaving Lexington (Ky.) for Arkansas, according to 247Sports national basketball analyst Travis Branham. The 7-1, 226-pound big man is the first Wildcat on the roster to announce a move following the news of Calipari and the Razorbacks.
Bradshaw is a former McDonald’s All-American and consensus 5-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class, ranking as the No. 1 center and No. 5 overall player in his class. The sophomore, Roselle (N.J.) native spent just one season at Kentucky. He averaged 4.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 blocks on 58/29/57 shooting splits across 26 games this past season.
Bradshaw broke his foot in last year’s McDonald’s All-American Game which sidelined him for the entire summer, preseason and first seven games of the regular season. He didn’t make an appearance in a Wildcats jersey until Dec. 2 in the team’s 80-73 home loss to UNC-Wilmington.
As Calipari gets settled in at Arkansas, Bradshaw is a name to keep a close eye on going forward. It’s not a guarantee that Bradshaw would move to Arkansas with his former head coach, but it’s a situation worth watching consider the Razorbacks have 12 scholarship roster spot available right now.
The transfer portal window is currently in the middle of a dead period, which started back on April 4 and continues through April 11. That means coaches can’t have in-person contact with any recruits, but can communicate via phone and other digital communication channels.
AARON BRADSHAW KENTUCKY BIO
2023-24 (Freshman)
Played in 26 games and made 10 starts during his freshman season … Averaged 4.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game … Tallied seven double-figure scoring efforts and had one double-double … Paced the Cats in rebounding five times, steals three times and blocks three times … Recovered from an offseason foot injury and made his debut on Dec. 2 against UNC Wilmington … Totaled 15 points at home against Arkansas, while also snaring five boards … Tallied 12 points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes of a road win at Vanderbilt … Scored 11 points in the home win over Mississippi State … Had two steals at Florida and finished the game strong with a big block late in the game followed by a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to give UK the lead for good with 1:27 to play … Was tabbed the SEC Freshman of the Week for his efforts after posting 10 points after halftime in the come-from-behind win … Made his first career start and scored 12 points in the win over No. 9 North Carolina … Drained the game-clinching free-throws against the Tar Heels … He also snatched an offensive rebound and had a put-back layup to help UK retake the lead with under five to play … Incredible effort in his second collegiate game vs. Penn, scoring a team-high-tying 17 points with 11 rebounds, hitting a 3 with three blocks in 29 minutes of action … Saw his first game action of the season vs. UNCW, playing 13 minutes and recording a dunk, two rebounds and a block.
Ranked as high as No. 2 overall by Rivals and 247Sports … McDonald’s All-American … 2023 Iverson Classic selection … NJ.com First-Team All-State … Logged 12.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game as a senior at Camden … Averaged 8.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game as a junior while helping Camden to the NJSIAA Group 2 state championship … Played for NJ Scholars on the EYBL circuit, averaging 12.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks … Tallied three double-doubles during Peach Jam prior to senior season.