Recruiting analyst on Reed Sheppard. ‘Guys like that translate at the college level.’
Still just a sophomore in high school, Kentucky basketball star Reed Sheppard is already beginning to build a national profile.
The North Laurel standout — and son of former UK basketball greats Jeff Sheppard and Stacey Reed — continued his stellar season Tuesday night with a 43-point performance in the Jaguars’ 90-69 victory at Madison Central, a Top 25 team in Kentucky.
North Laurel is now 17-0 on the season and ranked No. 2 in the state by The Associated Press.
Outside of Kentucky high school circles, Sheppard is emerging as one of the best players in his class.
247Sports basketball analyst Travis Branham, who helps put together the national recruiting service’s player rankings, was in Richmond on Tuesday night to catch Sheppard’s game in person. The in-state star made a good impression.
“What really stood out to me was his skill set and IQ for the game,” Branham told the Herald-Leader. “While he’s been known mainly for his point totals this high school season — and he had 43 last night — the thing that really stood out to me was his vision and decision-making. He’s very unselfish. He plays the right way. He makes his teammates better. He enjoys facilitating and getting them shots.
“But he’s also a skilled scorer. He can really shoot. He didn’t have his best shooting night, but the mechanics and everything are there. He made some 1-2 dribble pull-ups, got to the rim, got to the foul line. He’s just a kid that has a high floor. He doesn’t necessarily have a high ceiling — he’s 6-3 and he’s already fairly physically mature — but the kid is just skilled and he knows how to play the game. And guys like that translate at the college level.”
Sheppard is now averaging 33.6 points per game — tops in the state — and he’s doing it in an efficient manner, shooting 55.2 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from three-point range and 87.3 percent on free throws.
The son of two former college stars is also effective in other areas, leading North Laurel with 7.4 rebounds per game and using his vision and passing ability to turn in high-assist totals nightly. Sheppard had eight assists — along with six steals — Tuesday night.
While this was Branham’s first opportunity to see Sheppard play in person, he’s studied plenty of film on the sophomore standout from earlier in the season.
“He has a controlled confidence about him,” he said. “And he’s very mature for his age, when it comes to his mentality and approach. He knows who he is as a player. He’s not really going to go out and try to do things he’s not capable of.”
Strengths and weaknesses
Sheppard is obviously lighting up the state this season, but in the coming months — once travel basketball begins — he’ll be judged against his peers on a national level. That’s something those who have followed his progression so far are eager to see.
Though he still has two seasons of high school ball beyond this one, Sheppard has the attention of some top college programs, including an early scholarship offer from Iowa and confirmed interest from Kentucky, Louisville and Indiana, among others.
Scouts are already starting to evaluate his game based on how it will carry over to that level.
“Definitely shooting the basketball — I think that will be the skill that translates the most,” Branham said. “And where he goes and the system he plays in will play a factor into what else has a big impact. He’s not necessarily an isolation player. He can isolate at the high school level. But at the collegiate level — he’s a combo guard — so he’s going to play on and off the ball. He’s able to play on it because of his IQ. Because of his skill set. Because of his ability to facilitate. But he can also play off it with his ability to shoot the basketball and score.
“And I would say — at the collegiate level — depending on where he goes, he’ll probably primarily play off the ball, where he’ll be able to make shots and become a secondary playmaker.”
Obviously, shooting the basketball is a strength for Sheppard, who has some fairly large sample sizes to go with his impressive percentages: 43 made threes and 117 made free throws in 17 games. Branham noted, however, that players in his situation can always improve their outside shooting — and extend their range — in preparation for the next level.
“For a guy like him, who doesn’t have the best burst and the best speed — especially at the collegiate level — stretching the floor with your ability to make shots is going to pull the defense out on you, where you can then attack them off the dribble and create off of that,” Branham said.
The analyst added that Sheppard could also continue to grow in his ability and awareness playing the pick-and-roll game as someone who possesses the “feel and IQ” to be productive in such situations. “Learning the reads. Learning how to take advantage of defensive coverages. Manipulating the defense and forcing them into tough decisions — he can really have a big impact,” he said.
Sheppard in the rankings
At the moment, 247Sports’ national rankings for the sophomore class include only 50 players.
Those 2023 rankings will be extended to 75 players with the next update. Expect Sheppard’s name to be on the list whenever that happens.
“As of right now, he definitely fits the part of a top-75 prospect,” Branham said. “Now, in two years, it could be different, obviously. There are still a lot of players to emerge. There are still a lot of players to develop. But right now, just given that high floor, he looks to be a part of that top-75 prospect group.”
Branham reiterated that Sheppard is not facing the same level of competition playing Kentucky high school basketball as he would see with a top AAU program in the spring and summer. He’s expected to play on the top-tier Adidas circuit later this year, and settings like that are often where players make big gains in the rankings and rack up major scholarship offers as college coaches and scouts are able to evaluate them against similar talent.
With the NCAA’s recruiting “dead period” in effect for nearly a year now, scouts have seen relatively little of the 2023 class in person. Previously unknown or underappreciated prospects will surely emerge on a national level in the coming months, bringing even more competition for spots in the class rankings.
“And maybe he’s better than what he’s shown so far,” Branham acknowledged. “Maybe there’s more to his game that is going to be illuminated as he plays better competition. Because your game is going to have to adjust depending on the level of competition. Maybe there are things that he does better than we’ve given him credit for so far.”
It’s clear that Sheppard has done enough to this point to have gained the attention of national recruiting analysts, who will be in the gyms when the shoe company circuits start back up in April. There’s optimism that college coaches will be able to see recruits in person again starting in June and July.
Sheppard will have plenty of opportunities to prove he belongs in the national discussion.
“He’ll definitely be on my watch list once things open back up and he’s out playing on the AAU circuit,” Branham said. “He’s a kid that I’m eager to watch.”
