Reed Sheppard's official Kentucky debut draws rave reviews

The Rupp Arena crowd is going to enjoy cheering for Reed Sheppard this season. The freshman guard was born to be a fan favorite — the son of two Kentucky basketball stars, raised in the Bluegrass, and grew up cheering for the home-state Wildcats. The fact that he’s a legitimately talented hooper is just the icing on the cake.

During Kentucky’s 86-46 season-opening win on Monday night over New Mexico State, Sheppard gave the Big Blue Nation their first taste of what’s to come in 2023-24 whenever he hits the floor. He finished with an impressive stat line of 12 points (4-6 FG), five rebounds, two assists, two blocks, two steals, and zero turnovers in just 21 minutes of action off the bench.

Sheppard’s first-ever official basket as a Wildcat came off a fastbreak dunk that ignited Rupp Arena. His first three-pointer late in the first half sparked the crowd once again. Fans were waiting on the edges of their seats for the homegrown product to do something amazing so they could let him know about it from the sidelines all the way up to the rafters. He gladly gave them what they were looking for.

“It was awesome. Putting on the jersey for the first time, running out with my teammates, running out with the best fans in the nation hollering, it was really, really cool,” Sheppard said after his Kentucky debut. “It was something I dreamed of my whole life, so finally being able to do it was a dream come true. It was unbelievable.”

Reed Sheppard’s first points as a Kentucky Wildcat were big ones 💥pic.twitter.com/RinwGgBCMJ

— KSR (@KSRonX) November 7, 2023

Sheppard has gone through several trial runs already at Rupp Arena before Monday night. He played in both of Kentucky’s preseason exhibitions and the annual Big Blue Madness event. That’s not to mention his stints in the same building when he was playing for North Laurel High School in the Sweet 16 state tournament. But it goes back even further than that. He was once the kid cheering on the Wildcats from the stands.

Now, it was finally his turn to make a mark on this program. Monday night had a different feel than those past memories.

“It was an unbelievable feeling that I will never forget,” Sheppard said.

The season-opener was only one game of many, but Sheppard isn’t going to be just a bench piece on this Kentucky roster. He’s going to play a significant role in how good the Wildcats can be this season. Of head coach John Calipari’s eight-man freshman group, Sheppard came to Lexington as the fifth-best in terms of the recruiting rankings. But rankings don’t mean anything once you step on the floor as a college basketball player. When you can pass, shoot, and dribble like Sheppard can, it’s going to be hard to keep someone with his talents off the court.

“Reed’s a great defender. Reed’s just a basketball player. Reed is in the right position at every time,” Fellow freshman guard Rob Dillingham said after Monday’s win. “Reed can dunk the ball, he can shoot the ball, he can shoot the mid-range, he’s a three-level scorer. He literally can do everything and he’s a team player. He’s never thinking about himself. I love playing with Reed. He helps me even when sometimes I get frustrated about something, he always just keeps me level-headed and makes me realize there’s a bigger picture and we’re playing for each other.”

Those who followed Sheppard during his closely watched high school career saw the vision of what is already playing out. Yes, he can score, but he’s not a one-dimensional player. Calipari said after the win that Sheppard “may have the best hands of anybody I’ve coached”. His defensive pressure shocked New Mexico State head coach Jason Hooten.

“Reed gets his hands on every ball. Like literally every ball,” Dillingham added.

It helps that Sheppard is having to defend and play alongside the likes of Dillingham, five-star freshman DJ Wagner, and Preseason All-SEC selection Antonio Reeves every single day during practice too. “They’re the best guards in the nation,” Sheppard said. But those same guards have to go up against him, too. Kentucky’s backcourt quartet of Sheppard, Dillingham, Wagner, and Reeves finished with a combined 53 points, 10 assists, and just one turnover against New Mexico State.

Sheppard injected life into Rupp Arena on multiple occasions during his debut. That won’t be the last time that happens this season. The legacy kid came to Lexington to win.