Reed Sheppard and his parents react to Kentucky offer. ‘It’s something very special.’
The moment that seemingly all of Big Blue Nation had been waiting for was met with silence by those impacted by it most.
John Calipari called Reed Sheppard on Friday afternoon to deliver the news — that the basketball phenom from North Laurel High School, the son of two UK greats — had earned a scholarship offer to play for the Wildcats. Once that call ended, father, mother and son sat in a hotel room in Alabama and took it all in.
“We kind of just sat in silence for a little bit,” Reed said. “We were shocked.”
The scholarship offer — a notably early one, by Calipari’s usual practices — was unexpected. Sheppard finished his sophomore year of high school just a couple of months ago. He had played in front of Calipari for the first time just the day before. He just turned 17 years old, and he still has two more years before he’ll begin his college career.
But he’s also accomplished so much on the court already.
Sheppard led the state in scoring with 30.1 points per game this past season. He emerged as a national recruit this spring, climbing to the No. 39 overall spot in the Rivals.com rankings for the 2023 class. College coaches were scattered across the sidelines for his first games on the Adidas 3SSB circuit, their first real chance to see Sheppard play against elite competition.
Sheppard and his parents — UK greats Jeff Sheppard and Stacey Reed Sheppard — were expecting some early attention and some spotlight. But they weren’t expecting this. At least, not quite yet.
“Well, it was kind of an overwhelming moment,” said Reed’s mother, one of the greatest UK women’s players ever. “We weren’t sure what Kentucky was thinking, because they hadn’t gotten to watch him. But we were excited. As a family, we were excited for Reed. I don’t know, it was just a surreal moment.”
Stacey Reed Sheppard said she and her husband — the Final Four MVP of Kentucky’s 1998 title run — were up front with the UK coaching staff early on. They didn’t want any favors just because of Reed’s famous last name.
“If you’re going to recruit him, recruit him because of him. Don’t just do it because of us. We want him to be his own person,” his mom recalled of the message they wanted the staff to hear. “We said, ‘Wait until you see him play in person. If you like what you see, then recruit him.’ And so, last night, Reed didn’t shoot the ball well, but he played well in other areas. And that was one of the things that Coach Cal mentioned today.”
Kentucky’s coaches had rolled in four deep the previous night — Sheppard’s first game of the July evaluation period — with Calipari and top assistant Orlando Antigua sitting in the stands, Chin Coleman and Jai Lucas standing on the sidelines.
Sheppard played well in that game. He played even better early Friday afternoon, when Antigua watched him score 23 points — and hit five three-pointers — in the first half alone. By halftime of that game, what came next seemed inevitable. Calipari called a little while later, and that was that.
“It was really exciting,” said Jeff Sheppard. “Reed has lived in Kentucky his whole life and understands the excitement around Kentucky basketball. And to have Coach Cal call and talk to him and offer him the scholarship — it’s kind of surreal right now, you know. Even with Stacey’s background and my background — as parents, if we remove ourselves from that whole experience and just look at it for him — it’s something very special.”
As soon as the Sheppards gathered themselves, they called Reed’s sister, Madison, a basketball player at Campbellsville University, and delivered the good news. She was excited for her little brother, of course.
“It meant a lot, for sure,” Reed said of Calipari’s call. “Being from Kentucky, that’s a dream that everybody has — to get an offer and get a chance to play at the University of Kentucky. It’s just something to be extremely thankful for. But, at the end of the day, we’re just going to let everything play out and see where I think the best fit is for me.”
The Sheppards and Kentucky
Any UK fans hoping that Sheppard might commit to his home-state school — the one he grew up rooting for — on the spot will probably be disappointed.
The 6-foot-2 guard said he wants to go through the recruiting process. He’s taken just two visits so far, to Louisville and Virginia last month. Indiana extended a scholarship offer Friday night. Gonzaga has been in steady contact. Others will probably jump into the mix in the coming days and weeks and months.
“I still have two more years of high school left, and I’m just going to enjoy the process,” he said. “Enjoy talking to every coach that I can. Going to as many campuses as I can. And I have no rush of when I’m going to choose a school. Wherever God wants me to be, at the end of the day, is where I’m going to end up.”
Friday’s conversation with Calipari — just the second time they had talked, according to Reed — will surely remain a special memory, though, whatever happens next.
“It was something to be extremely thankful for,” he said.
Jeff, the winner of two national championships, a guy who played 139 games as a Kentucky Wildcat, actually seemed the most starstruck by the moment he and his family found themselves in. He and his wife were finally getting to see Reed play on the big stage, against national competition — with coaches like Calipari and Chris Mack and Mike Woodson looking on — and then comes that coveted UK offer. All in a matter of 24 hours.
“Yeah, it’s a lot. It’s a lot,” Jeff said, looking around the sprawling basketball complex, still taking it all in. “But Stacey and I have been through a lot, too. We’ve played in some Final Fours, and we’ve gone through some stuff. But when you just take it one day at a time and are very appreciative of every single moment, then when moments like this happen, you just enjoy it. And then try to come back down to Earth and show up and play a ballgame. But it’s been a lot of fun today, for sure.”
Sheppard’s dad offered a good dose of level-headed perspective the night before, saying he and his family weren’t stressing over the “Will they or won’t they?” question of a Kentucky basketball offer. They were just taking it one day at a time. Reed would keep working, keep playing, and whatever happened would happen.
He offered more of that perspective Friday night, knowing full well that the conversation will quickly turn from “What will Calipari do?” to “What will Reed do?”
This was a great moment for a young man and his family and a feel-good moment for much of the UK fan base. But it won’t define his son, and it won’t change the course of an entire, storied program.
“We will continue to be the Sheppards. And Kentucky basketball will continue to be Kentucky basketball,” Jeff said. “And like I said last night, all of that’s OK. It’s all OK. So we’ll see how it all goes and enjoy every step of the way. And it’ll be a lot of fun.”
Both parents, asked to look back on their own recruitments, reflected on the past.
Stacey Reed Sheppard said she was all set to play for Western Kentucky, then had a late change of heart, instead deciding toward the end of her senior year of high school to play for the Wildcats. That worked out all right.
“And once I made that decision, I was at peace,” she said. “And it was meant to be. I met Jeff. And (then came) Reed and Madison. So it’s been a blessing.
“You always want more for your kids. You just want them to be happy and to do well. And growing up in Kentucky — Reed and Madison have heard ‘UK’ all their life. So it was a really big deal today. And we’re appreciative and thankful.”
Jeff said he had just been recalling the memory of his own UK scholarship offer to Stacey earlier that day. It came the summer before his senior year. It was then pointed out that Reed, who will be a high school junior this fall, beat dad to the honor by a full year.
“He did. He beat me,” Jeff said, then let out a big laugh. “The stinker!”
Asked to compare the feeling that came with his own UK scholarship offer — 29 years ago — to the feeling he had Friday afternoon, Jeff paused for a bit. He was clearly thinking. Did he still remember that feeling?
“I do. I do,” he said quickly, gathering his thoughts.
“As a dad, it’s even more special,” he continued. “People ask what it’s like to play in a Final Four and win a national championship. And it’s almost as good as seeing your child go through something and win. And get a great opportunity. It’s one thing for you to experience something. It’s another thing for your child to be able to experience it.
“So, it’s very special.”
