Reed Sheppard lives out childhood dream with game-winner vs. Mississippi State

It’s a scenario that’s played out a million times on courts and driveways across the world. With the score tied and ten seconds on the clock, DJ Wagner brought the ball down the court and, after trying to penetrate the lane, dished it back out to Reed Sheppard. Sheppard drove and floated the ball toward the basket with just over a second left. Mercifully, it dropped in, giving Kentucky a huge 91-89 win over Mississippi State. His teammates mobbed him, silencing a crowd that was rabid for victory just moments earlier.

Thirty minutes later, Sheppard could only smile and shake his head when asked about the play, which he admitted he’d practiced countless times growing up in Laurel County.

“Yeah, for sure. That’s what everyone did as a little kid. I’m sure Adou did it as well. And then you miss it and get the rebound, they added time on the clock. Luckily tonight, they didn’t have to add time on the clock.”

For Reed, the son of Kentucky Basketball greats Stacey and Jeff Sheppard, it was yet another special moment realized. He finished with a career-high 32 points, 23 of which came in the second half, including 11 in the final 90 seconds. Each point helped Kentucky notch a quality Quad 1 win after being down by as many as 13 in the second half; however, those final two will always be a little special. Reed’s 32 points are the most by a native Kentuckian Wildcat as a freshman ever, passing Jack “Goose” Givens and Rex Chapman’s 26.

“It was really cool. Growing up, as a little kid, I always wanted to play at Kentucky, so being out there and being able to hit a game-winning shot for Kentucky was really cool. It was really special for me and to be able to do it with this group of guys that are really, really close off the court was really special.”

REED SHEPPARD WINS IT FOR KENTUCKY 🚨 @KentuckyMBB pic.twitter.com/1pevWzZwfu

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) February 28, 2024

His stat line may suggest it, but Reed wasn’t perfect tonight. John Calipari joked that he wanted to choke the freshman for turning the ball over with 20 seconds left, which led to a foul on Antonio Reeves and free throws by Tolu Smith; however, Reed’s clutch moments ultimately outweighed his freshman ones.

“I was about to choke him when he threw the ball deep and they get to the foul line and I’m looking like, ‘Why would you do that? You’ve got three foul shooters and any of them will make free throws and you throw one deep.'”

“But, told the team after, he plays to win. He’s not playing not to lose.”

Even before he took over the game in the second half, Reed made an impact. He hit three three-pointers in the first half to help Kentucky stay within striking distance of Mississippi State. Calipari dropped a curse word when describing one of them.

“We had to make some threes to stay in the game,” Calipari said. “So, we were running stuff to make some threes in the first half and he made a bunch. They went zone and he took a 40-footer. I looked at him, ‘You sh*tting me? Like, why would you do that?’ I said, ‘I hate to tell you not to, but come on.’ And then we put him in the middle of the zone and he makes the right play.”

“He’s Steady Eddie,” Calipari continued. “Sometimes his reactions to stuff, he’s trying to steal every ball, trying to do crazy — he’s in the back of the room, that’s why I’m saying it — but no, to make that play and not be fazed by it? His focus was on making the basket. It’s incredible.”

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Sheppard credits Wagner, teammates for support

True to form, Reed made sure to give props to not only his teammates but his opponent. When asked about the final play, he started by complimenting Mississippi State freshman Josh Hubbard on hitting his own clutch shots down the stretch. Thanks to some teamwork with DJ Wagner, it was Reed’s shot that ended up mattering the most.

“I trust DJ in what he’s going to do and he tried to penetrate and I was able to get in the lane. A lot of that comes from my teammates giving me confidence the whole game. They’re telling me in the huddles, ‘Just keep playing. Keep attacking. Lead us.’ And that’s huge. They just kept putting confidence in me the whole game.”

Wagner bounced back from a slump tonight, finishing with 10 points, including two huge three-pointers, and four assists. It was his first double-digit outing and three-pointer made since he returned for the Gonzaga game back on Feb. 10. The fact that he gave up the ball to Reed on the final play speaks volumes about his trust and basketball IQ.

“Everybody on the court wanted to shoot that shot and everybody on the court would have been good with anyone shooting that shot but DJ knew. He tried to attack and they were there and he just made the right basketball play which is what’s so special about this team, because everyone can just pass, dribble, and shoot no matter who is on the court.”