Reed Sheppard shares recruiting pitch to Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno: It’s Kentucky…
You won’t find a better success story than Reed Sheppard at Kentucky. It’s kind of like when LeBron James came out of high school with superstar expectations in the league and somehow managed to exceed them tenfold en route to becoming arguably the most dominant player to ever touch a basketball. Sheppard was that player for the 606, locals speaking the Laurel County native’s greatness into existence since grade school, certain that little boy from Kentucky would make it in blue and white and lead the Wildcats back to glory — even if it took four years.
He took those expectations and turned them into one of the most unimaginable one-and-done runs in program history. Sheppard caught lightning in a bottle, starting as a McDonald’s All-American and finishing as the National Freshman of the Year and No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Through all of the pressure as a double legacy signee with the weight of the state on his shoulders, he not only stayed afloat, but swam laps around the competition.
If you’re looking for the blueprint on how to handle life as an in-state recruit playing for Kentucky, Reed Sheppard has it locked down. He’s the best-case scenario moving forward, the standard of all standards. Not a bad position for guys like Travis Perry and Trent Noah to be in as they begin their careers as Wildcats, just a few months removed from their head-to-head battle in the state title game at Rupp Arena.
