Kentucky commit Reed Sheppard provides an update on his offseason

Reed Sheppard has been a busy individual since his junior year of high school basketball came to a close earlier this year. His North Laurel squad was knocked out of the opening round of the 2022 Boy’s Sweet 16 Tournament at Rupp Arena by Pikeville following an impressive regular-season run. Heading into his senior season, expectations are going to be incredibly high for the four-star Bluegrass native committed to the Kentucky Wildcats.

But for right now, he’s simply focused on enjoying his final summer as a “regular” high schooler.

“It’s been a great offseason,” Sheppard told the media on Friday night. “Of course being able to get back on the road, everything is normal now without COVID and all that, so being able to get out and play again in front of all the college coaches and just go out and have fun, play with my AAU teammates — this is the last year of AAU — so gotta enjoy it while it lasts. And then this high school summer is also my last high school summer so just trying to enjoy it with my friends that I’ve been friends with my whole life and just going out and having fun every game.”

Sheppard has been working on his game plenty this summer and looks up to the task of what will be another high school season with a huge target on his back. He shined on the AAU circuit this spring suiting up for Midwest Basketball Club (Adidas 3SSB), showcasing his ability to play within an offense instead of being “the guy” on every possession as he has been for North Laurel over the years. Midwest Basketball Club won the Run N’ Slam 17U title in May with Sheppard fitting in perfectly as one of the team’s three stars.

Playing alongside quality talent should better prepare him for his final season with his high school squad (and his future college career), which will feature a new-look starting five. North Laurel recently added one of the state’s top scorers in Harlan County transfer Trent Noah, a 6-foot-6 class of ’24 prospect who immediately makes the Jaguars a favorite to return to Rupp again this winter.

“(Noah is) another great player to add to the team,” Sheppard said of his new teammate. “He can shoot it really well and he’s got some size for us that we don’t have. And he just knows how to play the game the right way and he’s a tremendous athlete.”

This weekend in Shelbyville, KY, the third annual KABC Titans Rockets Summer Shootout at Collins High School is playing host to a massive group of the state’s top players. The event is made even more attractive with the addition of a handful of out-of-state teams from the likes of Ohio, Indiana, and Florida. Most notably, newly-minted ’23 five-star center Xavier Booker will make his debut in the tournament on Saturday night.

North Laurel is one of the teams participating in the event, which began on Friday and runs through Sunday. Sheppard and his squad played two games within three hours on Friday afternoon, splitting the contests with a win over Evangel Christian and a loss to Western. Kentucky’s new assistant coach KT Turner was in attendance for both games with head coach John Calipari making the trip up for game two.

Unfortunately for the Jaguars, Noah was dealing with a minor injury that prevented him from taking the floor. It resulted in a familiar Sheppard-centric tactic from opposing defenses that North Laurel saw all season long in 2021: make someone besides him beat you.

Kentucky’s John Calipari and KT Turner in for Reed Sheppard pic.twitter.com/XtJAg8brgI

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) June 17, 2022

Sheppard played well on the day but was pretty clearly losing energy near the end of the second game as double- and triple-teams began to flood his airspace, which is where having Noah will help tremendously moving forward. The future Wildcat is obviously excited about the addition, too.

“(Noah) played AAU with us a little bit but I didn’t know. When I got that call that he was here that was just something that was — I was extremely happy,” Sheppard said of his reaction to Noah’s transfer. “I was kinda shocked. I didn’t know if it was real or not. I was actually at the beach when I got that phone call. He was here a whole week before I even got here. Knowing that he’s here now, I’m really excited.”

Sheppard putting on his recruiting hat

Reed Sheppard has been committed to the ‘Cats since November and remains the program’s only lock for the 2023 class. But that hasn’t stopped the UK coaching staff from checking on him constantly and keeping him in the loop. Sheppard said he’s still regularly hearing from coaches.

“It’s awesome, they’re contacting me every day,” Sheppard said of his relationship with Kentucky right now. “I had a call with Coach O(rlando Antigua) before I came up. Just always reaching out. Went up last Saturday, hung out with the team for a little bit, just interacting with the players and the coaches is very special.”

The Kentucky staff isn’t just checking up on Sheppard to say hello though. They’ve given him some homework. As the lone ’23 commit, Sheppard has been hitting the recruiting trail in his own right, reaching out to several big-name prospects in hopes of getting them to join him in Lexington down the road.

“I kinda just text like Aaron (Bradshaw), DJ (Wagner), Robert (Dillingham), Matas (Buzelis), Ron Holland, a couple of those guys, kinda everybody,” Sheppard said. “KJ (Evans), everybody that they’ve reached out to, just trying to get a little leverage on them. But just having fun with it also, just texting them.

As he mentioned above, Sheppard came to UK’s campus last weekend for a quick visit. Also there in Lexington was the aforementioned Aaron Bradshaw, a 7-foot-1 five-star center who was on his official visit to Kentucky at the same time Sheppard was in town. Bradshaw is highly interested in the ‘Cats and could make a decision soon.

“(Kentucky coaches have) been getting onto me about it,” Sheppard said about recruiting other prospects. “They want me to reach out and try to connect with them. Like I went up Saturday and Aaron was up there so I got to hang out with him and spend some time with him, which was nice. They’re all for it.”

You might be asking: what kind of advice does Sheppard, who has grown up immersed in the Kentucky program, have for these hopeful Wildcats?

“I just tell them, you know what Kentucky is gonna do, they’re gonna get you where you need to go,” Sheppard said. “Best fans in the world, best coaches in the world, look at the NBA how many players have played for Kentucky and how many of them are super successful. They just know how to get you to that next level and keep making your game go up.”

Sheppard and his North Laurel squad will return to the hardwood for another game on Saturday. The Jaguars will face Madison Central at 5:00 p.m. EST. If North Laurel wins, they’ll play again at 9:00 p.m. EST. Both games will be held at the First Baptist Church main gym in Shelbyville.