Reed Sheppard debuted with a six-assist game
Kentucky freshman Reed Sheppard made his highly-anticipated debut in his dad’s old jersey, number fifteen, in the Wildcats’ win over Germany at GLOBL Jam. The 2023 Mr. Kentucky Basketball came off the bench for nearly seventeen minutes in his first run as a collegiate athlete, providing a first-quarter spark with an immediate assist to extend Kentucky’s early lead. Sheppard hit Antonio Reeves for a quick two to push the Wildcats ahead by eight.
Then in the second quarter, Sheppard logged his second assist of the game when he deflected and stole a German pass in the backcourt before finding DJ Wagner for Wagner’s first dunk as a Kentucky Wildcat.
The Big Blue Nation waited several years to see those two kids grow up to wear UK blue:
Sheppard added four more assists to match Wagner with a team-high six assists apiece.
“He played great today,” Wagner said of his freshman teammate. “He played intense. He played hard.”
John Calipari was impressed, too. When it was his turn to speak about Sheppard, Calipari said, “He got his hands on balls. He had assists. He’s an unbelievable thrower-in. You guys don’t even know because–that is, like, sideline out, baseline, the thrower-in is really important and he is always calm and waits and waits and throws it to the right guy.”
Calipari was referring to the inbounds play when Jordan Burks was that “right guy,” and Sheppard executed the cross-court lob with precision and only a second to spare.
Adou Thiero said, “Seeing him in practice and everything, I know he can shoot, get to the hoop. He can pass. His passing is really, like, that really got me. He threw that lob with one second left. I wasn’t expecting that. He’s just making great plays.”
Calipari also noted Sheppard was “unbelievable” in Kentucky’s closed-doors scrimmage against Africa on Wednesday.
“Like, if you were here, you said, ‘Wow.'”
Six assists, three rebounds, and two steals
Though Sheppard had no trouble finding the scorer, he himself struggled to score against Germany. He went 0-for-4 from the field, all from outside the three-point arc, for a scoreless afternoon.
Defensively, Sheppard had two steals and three rebounds. With the six assists, he was one of the most well-rounded players on the floor in Toronto.
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