Reed Sheppard thrives against top competition at Adidas 3SSB

Reed Sheppard has proven he can dominate in the 13th region, putting up absurd numbers on a nightly basis against his in-state peers. He was solid playing up an age group last season — that’s when he earned his offer from Kentucky — but the real test comes on the Adidas 3SSB circuit this grassroots season. Playing alongside and against high-major talent, it’s a time to see where the Kentucky pledge stacks up against players his own age on a bigger stage.

The results? Test passed.

Suiting up for Midwest Basketball Club in the season-opening 3SSB event in Noblesville, IN, Sheppard scored nine points in an all-around effort on Friday. He followed it up with a 13-point performance to start the day on Saturday, then closed out the night with an impressive 28-point effort in a triple overtime loss. Each performance was more impressive than the one before, growing more confident and thriving in his role with each game.

When his shot was falling, he looked to score. When shots fell for his teammates, he looked to defer and make plays for them. And when things went cold offensively, he picked up the slack defensively. Playing within himself, the future Wildcat complemented his teammates well and displayed a winning brand of basketball. And it resulted in back-to-back victories to open the weekend, followed by a hard-fought triple-overtime loss late Saturday evening.

Sheppard not only enjoyed playing well, but doing so on a national stage in front of dozens of college coaches, many of whom recruited him before he committed to Kentucky.

“It’s awesome. The environment is crazy, you walk in and you have all kinds of college coaches here,” Sheppard told KSR. “This year is even more special because all through last year, you were talking to these coaches. Now you come here and see them and it’s pretty cool. You’ve already had conversations with them, became close to a lot of these coaches. It’s really cool seeing them here again this year. … It’s special for sure.”

Now, though, the pressure that came with coaches watching him play is lifted off his shoulders. Earning a scholarship to Kentucky and committing in November, he doesn’t have to put on a show for attention and offers. He can now focus entirely on his game.

“It’s a lot of pressure let off now, you just come and play,” he told KSR. “Now it’s more of a fun, cool thing, don’t have to impress anybody. You can just come out and enjoy yourself.”

Enjoy himself, he did. Sheppard showed off his typical shooting touch and comfort as an on- and off-ball guard, getting paint touches and distributing well. He also ramped up intensity on the defensive end, jumping passing lanes and poking balls loose for turnover opportunities.

“We just have to stay active. Coaches like when you get deflections,” he said. “In college, getting deflections and steals are a really, really big deal. Being able to get deflections and put a fingertip on the ball is a big thing, so I just try to stay active and do what I can do on that end.”

He’ll have the rest of the spring and summer to show off what he can do during grassroots season, but what about the next step? Sheppard is looking forward to being at Kentucky where he will no longer have to watch as a fan from the sidelines.

“It sucked watching, you know? It kind of felt like I was out there playing when they lost. I was like, man,” Sheppard told KSR. “But that’s part of it, I think it was a learning experience for all of them. Even the ones that don’t get to come back next year. It’s a learning experience. I lost the day before too, so it was back-to-back days of tough losses. But that’s part of it.

“I enjoyed watching them play this year, they had a really good year. It was a really good team.”

Until then, he’s maintaining consistent contact with the coaching staff, with both sides regularly checking in with each other. Another visit to Lexington is in the works, too.

“Right now it’s just about checking in on each other,” Sheppard said. “It’s still early in the AAU season, they’re out trying to see some players. I think they’re in Florida right now. We’ve been just talking, they’re trying to get me back on campus to watch some workouts, maybe get me in some open runs. But mainly right now it’s just about checking in on each other.”

Sheppard is the lone commit in Kentucky’s 2023 recruiting class, but he hopes that changes soon. Two players the future Wildcat is interested in playing with? Five-star prospects DJ Wagner and Matas Buzelis.

“I would like for them both to be at Kentucky,” he told KSR. “I think they’d have special careers here.”

Not a bad potential trio in Lexington.