Brad Calipari officially joins team as walk-on

Marcus+Lee%2C+Brad+Calipari%2C+Dakari+Johnson+and+Andrew+Harrison+celebrate+after+defeating+Michigan+75-72+and+becoming+the+NCAA+Midwest+Regional+Champions+at+the+Elite+8+vs.+Michigan+at+the+Lucas+Oil+Stadium+in+Indianapolis%2C+Ind.%2C+on+Sunday%2C+March+30%2C+2014.+Photo+by+Emily+Wuetcher+%7C+Staff

Marcus Lee, Brad Calipari, Dakari Johnson and Andrew Harrison celebrate after defeating Michigan 75-72 and becoming the NCAA Midwest Regional Champions at the Elite 8 vs. Michigan at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., on Sunday, March 30, 2014. Photo by Emily Wuetcher | Staff

Anthony Crawford

While the the news came a few months earlier via Twitter, UK announced officially Monday afternoon that head coach John Calipari’s son will be a part of next year’s team as a walk-on for the Cats. Brad Calipari is currently enrolled for summer classes and eligible to play next season for the Cats.

Brad Calipari is a part of a recruiting class that currently sits atop the ranking for Rivals.com and ESPN. He joins five-star prospects Edrice “Bam” Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox, Wenyen Gabriel, Sacha Killeya-Jones and Malik Monk in moving on campus this week as summer classes start.

“I’m very excited to be a part of this special group of guys coming in,” Brad Calipari said. “It’s truly an honor to finally be with the Big Blue Nation. I’m very lucky to have this opportunity and won’t put it to waste.”

Brad Calipari started his high school playing career in Lexington, Kentucky at Lexington Christian Academy before transferring to the MacDuffie School in Massachusetts, where he spent the last two years.

The 6-foot, 180-pound guard averaged 15.3 points, 3.6 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game last season at MacDuffie and looks to be a reliable shooter for the Cats after averaging 47 percent on his three-point attempts last season.

“I’m excited for Brad to join the team. I’m so proud of how hard he’s worked to get to this stage and prepare for this moment,” John Calipari said. “Brad chose to go to prep school on his own and it ended up being a great decision. It was also his decision to be a part of this team. He knows he’s walking into a program with really good players, that he’s going to have to earn everything he gets, and that he’s going to have to strive to be his best. I’m looking forward to coaching my son.”