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Kentucky freshman guard Reed Sheppard has decided to forgo his remaining college eligibility and enter the 2024 NBA draft, as reported by ESPN on Thursday. Sheppard expressed his decision:
"I'm going all-in. The opportunity I have is great. I've gotten really good feedback showing where I can be in the draft. I need to do what's best for me, and that's heading to the NBA."
Fans had mixed reactions to Sheppard's declaration, with one commenting:
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"Not surprising whatsoever lol."
"He knows Kentucky is a mess," another remarked.
Some felt it was a good move for Sheppard:
"Good decision young man," a fan stated.
"Good decision young man. Pope would have been bad for you and didn't have your best interest in mind, with him publicly praying to god to make you come back and forgo your bright future for his own greed."
Not everyone, however, felt the same way:
"Worst tournament performance I’ve ever seen," one fan stated.
"He will get someone’s GM fired," this fan said.
Reed Sheppard excelled this season, making ESPN's top picks at number 7. His first-year heroics netted freshman of the year and all-conference second team. He posted solid stats, averaging 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.
But his long-range bombing truly dazzled, a scorching 52.1% from downtown. No NCAA first-rounder had unleashed such three-point terror since Glen Rice torched nets for Michigan in 1988-89.
Reed Sheppard's rise at Kentucky
Reed Sheppard, a top-25 recruit and McDonald's All-American, defied expectations with his meteoric rise at Kentucky. Despite initially coming off the bench, Sheppard's confidence, honed by daily work with coach John Welch, propelled him to become a standout player in the SEC.
Kentucky's season culminated in a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, but an upset loss to No. 14 seed Oakland dashed their championship aspirations. The unexpected defeat marked the end of an era, with coach John Calipari departing for Arkansas.
"The goal at Kentucky is to play for a national championship," Sheppard lamented to ESPN. "Losing the way we did was hard."
Coach John Calipari left Kentucky and Mark Pope took charge. Pope played basketball for the Wildcats and did well coaching at BYU. Reed Sheppard discussed Pope, complimenting him to ESPN:
"Our families are very close... I know how smart he is as a coach," Sheppard affirmed.
Chicago hosts the NBA draft combine between May 13-19 and New York City sees the draft on June 26-27. Reed Sheppard's prospects appear bright and it will be interesting to see where he ends up.
