Reed Sheppard is a consensus top 40, nationally ranked recruit. He’s been considered a four- or five-star prospect throughout the last couple of years. Sheppard committed to Kentucky — the first to do so in the 2023 class — because head coach John Calipari truly believes the Bluegrass native is capable of turning into a star. Sheppard’s family tree only adds to the intrigue.
But outside of Kentucky, Sheppard is hardly a household name in the world of basketball recruiting. His high school games aren’t ones played on national TV and he hadn’t participated in any of the major summer events until the NBPA Top 100 Camp back in June.