Justin Edwards, Reed Sheppard among UK recruits who impressed at City of Palms Classic
While different holiday high school basketball tournaments around the country brought together strong collections of talent over the past week, none could compare to the City of Palms Classic in terms of players with Kentucky connections.
Held at Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers, Florida, the event celebrated its 49th year in 2022, with top players and teams from around the country taking part.
For Kentucky fans, this meant a premium chance to watch five UK recruits in action, all with different abilities on the basketball court and all in different stages of their recruitment by the Wildcats.
Here’s a rundown of how these five players — Justin Edwards, Boogie Fland, Tre Johnson, Karter Knox and Reed Sheppard — did under the bright lights of elite competition.
Each player received all-tournament team honors at the City of Palms Classic.
Justin Edwards
COP recap: Let’s start with the tournament winner. Edwards and his Imhotep Institute (Philadelphia) team went a perfect 4-0 at City of Palms.
Over the four games, Edwards averaged more than 15 points while flashing the versatility that has allowed him to be ranked the No. 2 player in the current recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Edwards had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double in Imhotep’s semifinal win, and he played 32 minutes in three consecutive games to close the tournament.
Inconsistent shooting was still on display from Edwards, who began the tournament with an 8-for-11 showing from the field (including 5-for-6 from three-point range), before failing to shoot better than 37.5% from the field in any of the remaining games.
But between adaptability, durability and winning, some of Edwards’ best traits were on display last week.
Recruitment news: Edwards is signed and sealed as one of five members of Kentucky’s 2023 recruiting class. According to the 247Sports Composite, Edwards is the second-highest ranked player in the class behind DJ Wagner.
Boogie Fland
COP recap: Fland scored at least 12 points in all four games that he played with Archbishop Stepinac High School, as the Crusaders went 2-2 at City of Palms.
Fland made at least two three-pointers in three of the four games, including a pair where he made five three-pointers.
He certainly didn’t shy away from trying to score the ball against some of the top competition in the country: Fland took 14 or more shots in three of his four games.
Recruitment news: Fland is one of 10 players in the class of 2024 to hold a Kentucky scholarship offer. None have committed to a college yet.
Fland — who is ranked as the No. 11 player in the class of 2024 according to the 247Sports Composite — has only taken one official visit so far: to North Carolina in late October.
Tre Johnson
COP recap: Another top junior taking part in this year’s City of Palms event was Tre Johnson, from Lake Highlands High School in Dallas.
Johnson attempted at least 21 shots in all three games with of Lake Highlands going 1-2 in the process.
While Johnson’s distance shooting results varied (he went from 4-for-10 on three-pointers in Lake Highlands’ opening game to 2-for-10 in its second to 0-for-4 in its third), he kept his nerve from the foul line throughout, with a composure that many UK fans probably wish the current group of Wildcats had.
Johnson went a combined 17-for-18 (94.4%) from the charity stripe in 96 total minutes played in Florida.
Recruitment news: Johnson — the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2024 according to the 247Sports Composite — will be taking an official visit to UK on the weekend of Jan. 28, when the Wildcats will host defending national champion Kansas.
So far, Johnson has taken official visits to Baylor and Texas.
Karter Knox
COP recap: Knox and his Tampa Catholic (Florida) team went 1-2 at the City of Palms, but he still stood out as a 6-5 wing who can stuff the stat sheet.
The junior scored 17 or more points in all three of his team’s games, including a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double to begin the tournament.
Knox made a big recruiting leap from the summer to the fall, jumping up in the 247Sports Composite rankings from No. 10 in the class of 2024 to his current standing at No. 5.
Recruitment news: A Kentucky legacy recruit, Knox recently recapped his recent visits to both UK and Louisville. U of L had an assistant coach watching Knox play at City of Palms.
Knox was in Lexington in October for Big Blue Madness. The Cardinals and Wildcats are the only two programs Knox has visited.
Reed Sheppard
COP recap: Sheppard was one of the true standout stars from City of Palms, displaying the all-around skill set that so many people in Kentucky have already seen firsthand.
Sheppard posted per-game averages of 22.5 points, 9.75 rebounds, 6.25 assists and 4.25 steals as North Laurel High School went 2-2 at the tournament.
“The first thing that pops out for me with Reed Sheppard is his fundamentally sound skillset and his ability to score from multiple levels,” said Tony McNiff, a scouting analyst for MADE Hoops who covered City of Palms. “He has an advanced pass, dribble and shoot skillset which gives him a high floor as a prospect at the next level.”
These performances mirrored the complete basketball ability that Sheppard showed earlier this month in Louisville, when his North Laurel team had a showcase matchup against Edwards and Imhotep.
Recruitment news: Like Edwards, Sheppard is part of Kentucky’s star-studded 2023 recruiting class.
Sheppard was the first member of that class to verbally commit to UK, and the Kentucky legacy recruit then began the process of recruiting other players to Lexington himself.
This story was originally published December 23, 2022 at 11:52 AM.
