Reed Sheppard explains committing to home state school: 'It was always Kentucky'

Reed Sheppard grew up in London, Kentucky, 76 miles south of Lexington where his mother Stacey and father Jeff made names for themselves at Kentucky in the ’90s.

Their son grew up around the blue and white, coming to games at Rupp Arena and even meeting former Kentucky head coach John Calipari — who he’d later play for — when he was a kid. So when Sheppard was awarded a scholarship to play for his parent’s alma mater in 2021, the next step was academic and committed to UK shortly after.

“It was always Kentucky,” Sheppard said on NBA Today ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft. “I was going to Kentucky no matter what.”

As a consensus four-star recruit coming out of North Laurel High School, Sheppard wasn’t expected to shine the way he did during his lone season in Lexington. Sheppard was ready to take on any role Calipari threw at him, one time going so far as saying that he would be the water boy if he had to. Of course, he made the most of his opportunity, forced Calipari to put him on the court and is set to be drafted into the NBA on Tuesday.

During the 2023-24 season, Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 steals and a team-high 4.5 assists per game. Further, the Bluegrass native shot 53.6% from the floor and 51.1% from the 3-point line, the most accurate single-season 3-point percentage in program history.

“This year was unbelievable at Kentucky. It was a dream of mine since I was a little kid to play at the University of Kentucky and being able to do that this year was was unbelievable,” Sheppard said. “It was better than I expected. So, being able to be here today in the position that I’m in with all these great players, with me and my family here this week has been unbelievable.”

Sheppard, a 6-foot-3 guard, is currently ranked as ESPN’s No. 4 overall prospect and is likely to be taken in the Top 10. On3’s James Fletcher projects him as the No. 3 overall pick to the Houston Rockets and is expected to be the first traditional college player to be drafted on Wednesday night.

The 2024 NBA Draft is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN and ABC. Wednesday will feature the first round of the event, while the second round will be held on Thursday.