Big Blue Nation got its wish.
Class of 2023 star recruit Reed Sheppard, the son of former Kentucky stars Jeff Sheppard and Stacey Reed Sheppard, committed to UK Saturday in a ceremony at North Laurel High School. The prolific scorer had garnered much attention from Kentucky fans since his breakout sophomore season and strong showing on the Adidas grassroots circuit last spring.
The 247Sports Composite ranks Sheppard as the No. 22 prospect and No. 5 combo guard in the high school class of 2023. Louisville, Indiana, Virginia, Ohio State and Texas A&M were among the other high-major programs that had offered Sheppard a scholarship, but Kentucky was seen as the heavy favorite to land his commitment as soon as UK coach John Calipari extended an offer in July.
Sheppard is Kentucky's first commitment in the 2023 class. Here is a look at what the commitment means for the Wildcats.
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter's Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.
On This Day In UK Basketball History
- On March 19, 1966, Pat Riley joined the 1,000-point club. He did it in 54 games.
- On March 19, 1966, in one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, top-ranked UK, featuring “Rupp’s Runts,” loses in the NCAA Championship game, 72-65, to Texas Western.
- On March 19, 1989, in the wake of an NCAA investigation, Eddie Sutton resigns as UK basketball coach.