Connect with us

Men's Basketball

Reed Sheppard Says He Will Do “Whatever” It Takes to Win, Even if It Means Being a Water Boy

Published

2 years ago

on

© Matt Stone/Louisville Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

On Tuesday, four players of Kentucky’s highly anticipated freshman class will be taking the floor in the McDonald’s All-American Game, those being: Aaron Bradshaw, DJ Wagner, Justin Edwards, and Reed Sheppard.

For Sheppard, a native of London, Kentucky, this will be the first time since 2011 that a Kentucky high school player was selected to participate in the game with the last one being Chane Behanan who played in Bowling Green.

With all of the soon-to-be Wildcats talking to the media, Sheppard spoke about what his mindset will be for next year when he plays at Kentucky.

Advertisement

“Whatever coach tells me to do, whether it’s to go get a stop or get some water, I’m down to do it as long it helps the team be successful,” said Sheppard.

With Kentucky’s recent struggles, this team will have a lot of pressure to win. Hearing such a coachable quote from a freshman is promising to hear. Many Kentucky fans are excited to see what Sheppard can do on the court this upcoming year as many people believe he will help to be able to space out the floor and be able to shoot from the outside, but Sheppard believes he has more than that in his game.

“I would say my ability to pass and then shoot,” said Sheppard. “I think I do a pretty good job of getting my teammates involved, knowing where they’re going to be and the spots they’re going to be in.”

Although Sheppard’s season did not end the way he wanted to this past season at North Laurel, as they lost in the first round of the Sweet Sixteen to George Rodgers Clark, he is excited for his time at Kentucky and up for the challenge.

Advertisement

“Anyone knows that it is going to be hard to play at Kentucky,” said Sheppard. “They are one of the greatest college basketball programs in history.”

Being from Kentucky, and having a father that played there, Reed knows it will be difficult at times. “Going to Kentucky, you know you have a lot of pressure and knowing that they kind of struggled a little bit in the past couple of postseasons and the fans are kind of getting a little impatient. So it’s kind of a lot of pressure but you know it’s something that you work for and it’s something that you look forward to is going up there and playing with great players and great coaches and trying to make a run.”

While Kentucky’s roster is far from set, a talented freshman class should give Kentucky a good foundation. If they can get a few players to return to add some talented transfers, they could put themselves in a position to make a deep run into the tournament after failing to do so in the past few years.

You can get your first look at this year’s incoming freshmen as they will play in the McDonald’s All-American Game on Tuesday at 9:00 P.M. ET on ESPN.

Advertisement

Related Topics:
Advertisement

Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

Published

3 days ago

on

November 18, 2024

By

Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
IMAGN

The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

Advertisement

“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

Published

5 days ago

on

November 16, 2024

By

Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
IMAGN

John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

Advertisement

“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

Published

6 days ago

on

November 15, 2024

By

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
ESPN

Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

Advertisement

“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Trending