24 to watch in 2024: What will Kentucky basketball sensation Reed Sheppard do next?

The Lexington Herald-Leader is profiling 24 individuals this month that you should be keeping an eye on in 2024. The selected group represents a cross-section of industries, political parties, missions and the state itself. We believe each is notable for their contributions to Kentucky, as well as their plans for the next 12 months.

Who: Reed Sheppard, University of Kentucky men’s basketball player.

Background: Reed Sheppard — the son of former UK basketball stars Jeff Sheppard and Stacey Reed Sheppard — is Kentucky’s reigning Mr. Basketball and a player who has been in the local spotlight since his early years as a high schooler. The 19-year-old college freshman was a McDonald’s All-American before coming to UK this season, and he’s quickly emerged as arguably the best player on a Wildcats team that takes realistic national championship hopes into the new year.

Why 2024 will be notable: Coming into the season, it was unclear how much the Kentucky kid would play for John Calipari’s team, but Sheppard quickly put any doubt to rest by emerging as one of the Wildcats’ key contributors. He entered the new year as the SEC’s leader in steals, one of the nation’s top 3-point shooters, and — going by some analytics — the No. 1 freshman in the country.

Sheppard already had folk hero status in Kentucky before playing a single game in college, and his meteoric rise nationally has vaulted him into the NBA lottery pick conversation. If Sheppard can help lead UK to its first Final Four since 2015 — or, even better, the Cats’ first NCAA title in 12 years — he’d place himself among the program’s most celebrated players after just one season.

Whatever happens with this UK team, it’s becoming clear that Sheppard will face an intriguing decision. Will he stick around, reap the benefits of what could be an unprecedented situation for name, image and likeness compensation, and play at least one more year for his dream school? Or will he opt for the 2024 NBA Draft — an unlikely thought only three months ago — after just one season in college?

What others say: “In a team sport, individual excellence usually gets greater exposure and appreciation when the team does well, and Reed is on a team with a lot of upside for the remainder of this season. He also was clearly under-valued in the rankings of high school players, and it’s always good to be in a position of getting to be seen as overachieving as opposed to having the bar set high from the outset and having to meet those expectations. And perhaps no UK player in recent memory has been better equipped to understand the pressure that can come with playing here.” — UK play-by-play announcer Tom Leach

What Sheppard says: “Our Kentucky basketball team has an opportunity of a lifetime in 2024. We hope to give the best fans in the world something to celebrate this March. We love you BBN!”

This story was originally published January 11, 2024 at 10:00 AM.

Ben Roberts

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-429-2848

Ben Roberts is the University of Kentucky men’s basketball beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He has previously specialized in UK basketball recruiting coverage and created and maintained the Next Cats blog. He is a Franklin County native and first joined the Herald-Leader in 2006. Support my work with a digital subscription