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WATCH: Kentucky legacy commit Reed Sheppard throws down transition jam in McDonald's All American Game

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham•03/28/23•

AndrewEdGraham

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: JAN 15 Hoophall Classic
SPRINGFIELD, MA - JANUARY 15: Reed Sheppard of North Laurel (3) drives to the basket during the Hoophall Classic high school basketball game between Mount Saint Joseph and North Laurel on January 15, 2023 at Blake Arena in Springfield, MA (Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire)

Along with being a legacy commit to Kentucky, following in the footsteps of his mom and dad, Reed Sheppard is known for shooting the lights out of the ball. On Tuesday at the McDonald’s All American Game, though, he put on a bit of a different display.

Early in the third quarter, Sheppard read a pass perfectly from the middle of the paint and broke on it. He tipped it out past the East team point guard and was off to the races.

A simple two-handed flush gave the West squad a quick two points.

Sheppard is part of the top-rated recruiting class that Kentucky is bringing in ahead of the 2023-24 season. Along with Sheppard, the No. 36 player in the Class of 2023 according to the On3 Industry Ranking, Kentucky has commitments from the No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 10 overall prospects.

And Sheppard has a special connection to Kentucky. His dad, Jeff, is an all-time Wildcat basketball great. Along with two national championships with Kentucky, Jeff Sheppard earned most outstanding player at the 1998 Final Four. As an homage, Sheppard is wearing No. 15 — his dad’s number — at the McDonald’s All American Game.

His mom starred in basketball for the Wildcats, too, sitting in the top 10 for Kentucky in all-time made 3-pointers (175), assists (442), steals (309), field-goal attempts (1,318) and games started (110).

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And Sheppard is just one of several Kentucky commits making waves at the McDonald’s All-American Game.

At something of an annual stopover for Kentucky commits, the McDonald’s All American Game, Kentucky commits DJ Wagner Jr. and Justin Edwards combined for a smooth 3.

Wagner, the No. 3 player in the Class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, flipped a quick pass out to the left wing to Edwards, the No. 2 player in the class. Edwards rose up with his long frame and buried the triple for the East team.

“The Kentucky connection!” the play-by-play commentator said.

It’s a connection that Kentucky fans have been looking forward to seeing in blue for quite a while now. And though the McDonald’s All American Game is as much a celebration and exhibition of the immensely talented prospects, it’s more than enough to get college fans thinking about the possibilities for their incoming blue-chips.

And despite the rather run-of-the-mill assist, Wildcats fans can let their imaginations run wild about the possibilities with Wagner, Edwards, and the rest of Kentucky’s top-rated recruiting class in 2023.