Reed Sheppard has won Kentucky fansā hearts. āThe whole state is connected to himā
LEXINGTON, Ky. ā Some days, he pretended to be Rex Chapman in the 1990 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, recreating all those aerial assaults on an 8-foot goal. But most days, if grade-school Reed Sheppard was shooting on his backyard basketball hoop, he imagined that he was ā¦ himself in a Kentucky uniform. The seconds ticked down, the Wildcats needed a bucket, and the kid from London, Ky., was going to deliver.
āIāve always been a little boy from Kentucky who wanted to play at Kentucky,ā Sheppard says. āIt feels like that was me just two days ago, out in the yard with my friends and my cousins, taking that last shot for Kentucky.ā
Today, there are children across the state pretending to be Reed Sheppard. More specifically, Reed Sheppard on Tuesday night at Mississippi State, where the Wildcats trailed by 13 in the second half before the boy wonder turned his lifelong vision into reality. Sheppard scored 23 points in the final 13 minutes ā 11 of those in the last 93 seconds ā and buried a game-winning floater with a half-tick to go in Starkville. His heroics kept alive 16th-ranked Kentuckyās hopes of winning an SEC championship and stoked dreams of a deep NCAA Tournament run. Heād already put together a terrific freshman season, but this was a superstar performance: 32 points, seven assists, five rebounds, two blocks, two steals. And that boy-in-the-backyard moment.
āTo hit a game-winning shot for Kentucky,ā Sheppard says, āwas really special for me.ā
REED SHEPPARD WINS IT FOR KENTUCKY šØ @KentuckyMBB pic.twitter.com/1pevWzZwfu
ā SEC Network (@SECNetwork) February 28, 2024
During ESPNās broadcast, Jimmy Dykes recited a biblical play on words that has been popping up on homemade signs in the Kentucky crowd this season: A Sheppard boy shall lead them. The faithful understand a simple truth, that each of the programās eight national championship teams had a native Kentuckian among the top six scorers. That makes Sheppard, in many eyes, not only the most important player on this roster, but the most important person in the state.
Chapman knows better than anyone what that level of in-state celebrity is like. He was Sheppard almost 40 years ago: son of a well-known basketball figure, homegrown hero, Kentuckyās Mr. Basketball, McDonaldās All-American, and then an instant sensation for the Wildcats. King Rex, as he came to be known across the Bluegrass State in the 1980s, understands all the adulation, expectation and pressure that comes with being basketball royalty around here. It nearly swallowed Chapman whole back then, and sometimes he can hardly believe how well Sheppard is thriving in that same circus now.
āWhen I ask his dad how Reed is doing, he knows I mean how is he handling all the people, the crush of all this on his shoulders,ā Chapman says. āThe important thing is he has a great support system. I really didnāt, and I was more immature than him at this age.
āSo you do wonder how Reed does it, how he makes such an incredibly hard thing look so easy, until you remember who his parents are. Then you go, well, that makes perfect sense. He was literally born to do this.ā
Jeff Sheppard, Most Outstanding Player at the 1998 Final Four, and Stacey Reed Sheppard, a two-time state champion at Laurel County High and top-10 scorer in UK womenās history, have made arguably the largest alumni contribution in the history of the school. Their 19-year-old son is straight out of central casting for Cats fansā wildest dreams. Heās got Kentucky basketball in his actual DNA, and he plays the sort of steady, selfless, all-around game that makes John Pelphrey, a member of Rick Pitinoās āUnforgettablesā in 1992, say the younger Sheppard is āa throwback guy who couldāve absolutely played with our team.ā
It is exactly that ethos ā heās one of us ā that made an entire state fall in love with the wunderkind even before he proved the clutch gene is hereditary.
You see, Kentucky fans ābelieve wholeheartedly that when a Kentucky boy wears the Kentucky jersey, that boy plays harder and it means more to him,ā Jeff Sheppard says. āWhether itās true or not can be argued, but I think the state is feeling that right now. Weāre winning, weāre scoring 90 points a game, playing a style that is appealing to the eye, and thereās a Kentucky boy out there. The whole state is connected to him.ā
Jimmy Mahan is a lifelong Kentucky fan and owner of Roadshow Cards, which has sports card shops in California, New York, Texas and his home base of Lexington, Ky. He recently paid $1,900 for a one-of-five autographed Reed Sheppard card, which he says heāll never sell at any price ā although that price would be absurd right now. A 1-of-25 autographed Sheppard card was going for $5,000 on eBay on Wednesday evening. Mahan says that among current college basketball players, only Iowa star Caitlin Clark and LeBron Jamesā son, Bronny, are hotter on the card-collecting market.
Thatās nationally. Locally, his popularity is unmatched. Mahan thought heād never seen a player so beloved as 2022 national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe, āand then Reed came along right after and itās just a whole other level.ā
āI would say 90 minutes do not pass in my store that I donāt get asked if I have a Reed card or a Reed autograph,ā Mahan says. āIf weāre open, someone is always walking in or calling and going, āGot any Reed? Got any Reed? Got any Reed?āā
Mahan hosts several autograph-signing sessions for Kentucky players past and present ā current Cats can finally capitalize on their celebrity, thanks to name, image and likeness rules ā but his eyes widen when he imagines what a Sheppard signing would look like. Heās had preliminary conversations with Sheppardās parents, who help manage his vast NIL opportunities.
āWhen does a Reed signing end? In this state? How long would it go?ā says Mahan, who estimates he would pay Sheppard $3,000 an hour to sign for fans. āIt would basically come down to how much money he wanted to make, because an unlimited signing might go all night.ā
That level of attention could be a lot for anyone, let alone someone who was so painfully shy as a little boy that his big sister, Madison, did his talking for him. But Sheppard wanted to get comfortable interacting with fans and being a public figure ā because he so vividly remembers what it was like to be the one begging Kentucky players for a picture or signature. Back home, thereās a photo of grade-school-aged Sheppard with then-UK-star Tyler Ulis, who is now helping coach him as a student assistant on John Calipariās staff.
āI enjoy doing that for people,ā Sheppard says, ābecause I was that fan as a kid.ā
He also watched both his parents handle their local celebrity with grace and humility. He grew accustomed to total strangers fast-walking in the familyās direction at a restaurant or the grocery store and striking up a conversation like old friends. Before he knew better, young Reed would tug on Jeffās arm and demand an introduction.
āMind your manners!ā Jeff remembers telling him. āOnce they went away, Iād say, āSon, thatās a Kentucky fan.ā Heād say, āBut do they know you?ā And Iād say, āWell, they feel like they do.ā ā
Stacey puts it another way.
āThey want to know you,ā she says. āAnything they can do or say to share a relatable moment with you, thatās what theyāre looking for, and you can see the pure joy when youāre able to give that to them. Reed being from here, growing up with us, he understands what that means to people here, so itās not an obligation or a bother. Itās a way of giving back to what heās loved his whole life.ā
When Jeff is out in public with Reed these days, fans still rush toward them ā but often to talk to the younger Sheppard.
āTheyāll say, āHey, Reed!ā and Iām going, āHow do you know them?ā and now he gets to say, āDad, mind your manners. Thatās a Kentucky fan.āā Jeff says. āNow Iām Reedās dad. Iām no longer Jeff Sheppard, and that transition has been a blast.ā
After home games at Rupp Arena, Reed lingers a long time in the stands, posing for pictures and signing posters or basketballs or jerseys with the No. 15 that he wears ā and Jeff wore ā at Kentucky. The coaching staff and school administration have both asked whether the family would like them to do some crowd control, shew away those long lines.
āWeāre like no, absolutely not,ā Jeff says, ābecause this is home, and thatās who we live with. That guy, thatās our neighbor. We go to church with those 10 people. Those 20 are his family. Those 17 are his high school coaches and teammates. Thatās the difference. We live here, and when all this is done, weāll still be here. These are our people.ā
That doesnāt mean everyone deserves your time and attention. While Jeff believes Kentucky fans are no more hysterical today than when he played, now thereās a whole other level of access to the players, via social media, that is an unnecessary distraction at best.
āWhat we are trying to help Reed navigate through ā and trust me, itās important for us as parents also ā is that you have to be very careful what you listen to,ā Jeff says. āBecause when I was at Kentucky and I finished a game, I did not drive from house to house to get everybodyās opinion on how they thought I played. So for him, and for us, simple is the word. Simple is the key to his success right now. He plays a simple game, because weāve taught him that the consistent execution of the basic fundamentals is what always wins, in basketball, in life, in family. So keep it simple.ā
For Reed, thatās getting harder every day.
Sheppard is putting together a historic freshman season. Heās just the third high-major player in the last 30 years to record at least 100 assists, 75 steals, 60 made 3-pointers and 20 blocks in a season ā and heās only played 28 games. Lots of people thought, or at least hoped, he would be a really nice multi-year player for the Wildcats, but none dreamed that he might be so good, so fast as to become a one-and-done draft pick. Certainly not when he arrived with a loaded recruiting class that included Justin Edwards, Aaron Bradshaw, DJ Wagner and Rob Dillingham, who were ranked the No. 3, 4, 6 and 16 prospects in the Class of 2023. Sheppard was ranked 43rd.
āI thought it was actually going to be tough for him to get minutes,ā says Scott Padgett, an All-SEC teammate of Jeffās on the 1998 national championship team ā and now a Mississippi State assistant. āI thought he would have a good career, but Iām not going to sit here and act like I knew he would do this right out of the gate. I did believe he would be very good at handling it, though, because of his parents.
āPut it this way: When I played, Jeff Sheppard was Reed Sheppard. Everybody loved Shep, and he couldāve been pulled every which way, but he was so level-headed and calm and focused that it never got to him. Stacey was the same. So if anybody could help Reed deal with everything that comes with this, itās them.ā
Sheppard is helping his teammates cope with the most overwhelming elements of Kentucky basketball. When Edwards, who was hyped as a potential No. 1 overall pick, struggled enough early this season that some quickly labeled him a bust, Sheppard suggested he meet with a mental health coach. He and Edwards also devised a simple plan for picking each other up in an instant: If one of them was down, the other need only flash a big, goofy grin to remind them itās not that serious. Just smile.
After Edwards delivered the game of his career, a 28-point outburst on 10-of-10 shooting in a win over Alabama, he said Sheppard helped guide him out of the dark days that preceded it. When Sheppard stepped to the line for two tying free throws at the end of regulation at Texas A&M in January, just a week after he sank six straight in the final 19 seconds of a win at Florida, Edwards gave him that goofy grin from the bench. Sheppard smiled, then buried them both.
āEverything in my mind kind of just cleared out,ā he says. āThose are the moments you want.ā
Therein lies the answer to a wild question: How does a guy who doesnāt even start for his team run away with national freshman of the year ā and vault into the NBA Draft lottery ā as Sheppard sure seems to be doing? By not caring at all about any of those peripheral concerns. Whatever anyone says he should be, thereās only one thing he wants to be: a winner. And nobody impacts winning for the Wildcats like Sheppard, who has a chance to break Kentuckyās single-season records for both 3-point percentage and steals. Only eight freshmen in the last 15 years have posted a better season-long plus/minus than Sheppardās, and all of the others became top-five picks.
āI donāt know that my ego couldāve taken being the best player on the team and not starting,ā Chapman says. āBut again, why are we surprised? Jeff is one of the great teammates of all time.ā In fact, at Pitinoās request, Jeff redshirted the year after Kentuckyās 1996 national title, in what would have been his senior year, to clear time for future lottery picks Ron Mercer and Derek Anderson, before coming back as a leader on the 1997-98 squad under Tubby Smith.
āThe fact that Jeff didnāt leave tells you that Jeff is tough, tough,ā Chapman says. āAnd when I look at Reed, heās a lot like him in the way teammates love and respect him for the way he goes about his business.ā
Ah, yes, his business. Itās booming. Sheppard has NIL deals with Donatoās Pizza, Planet Fitness, WinStar Farm, The Dairy Alliance, Forcht Bank and White, Greer & Maggard Orthodontics, plus team-wide agreements, all of which add up to a payday that conservative estimates have put in the mid-to-high six figures. Thereās certainly seven-figure potential as his star continues to rise, though Jeff says the family has turned down several more offers to keep the focus where it needs to be.
āI didnāt come to Kentucky to do NIL,ā Reed says. āThe whole goal was to come play basketball, get better, win a national championship.ā
But what if the Wildcats donāt this season? How long will he chase that dream in Lexington? Does legacy matter to the kid who grew up with Kentucky posters all over his walls and whose father helped raise two banners to the Rupp Arena rafters?
One giant pile of money or another will be there waiting for him when the season ends, either way. And Sheppardās might be the rare case in which thereās enough NIL earning potential to offset the financial risk of passing up a lofty spot in the draft.
āItās a good question,ā Jeff says. āI donāt think heāll stay or go based on NIL, but to say itās a non-factor is not accurate. Itās not like we sit down at the dinner table every night breaking down draft classes over the next four years trying to figure out when to go ā we donāt talk like that ā but weāll make a thoughtful decision when itās time.ā
If Sheppard keeps climbing draft boards, conventional wisdom suggests the decision will be made for him. But Padgett doesnāt think so.
āIām not saying heāll stay four years, but I would still be shocked if his career lasted one,ā he says. āIf there are weaknesses they think he can work on and improve in a year, I could see him staying another year. Theyāre going to look at this differently than most, for one because the NIL is probably crazy, but also because education is huge to them and heād be another year closer to a degree, where he could then come back and finish it in the summers. And, to be honest with you, thereās an unknown factor.
āThey are such a close, close, close family, and Reed has lived his whole life in London and Lexington, so I donāt know that thereās a real rush to get out of there unless youāre 100 percent ready. Plus, if he comes back, heās a rock star. Heās Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali. In that state, he would be that.ā
At least for a few more weeks, Reed Sheppard is right where he always wanted to be. So while his mother long ago gave up asking how reality compares to the dream, because heās never been a big talker and āyou canāt hardly get his feelings out of him,ā the truth is plain to see.
āWatching him play with that big smile on his face, thereās really nothing he needs to say to me,ā Stacey says. āAs his mom, that tells me heās loving every minute of this and heās having the time of his life.ā
(Top photo: Courtesy of Chet White / UK Athletics)
Kentucky Wildcats, Men's College Basketball
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