Could Kentucky hiring Mark Pope keep Reed Sheppard in Lexington?

Could Reed Sheppard be back at Kentucky next season?

One question has run through the heads of Kentucky fans all off-season: will Reed Sheppard be back in Lexington next season?

Coach Calipari left for Arkansas, and Mitch Barnhart hired Mark Pope to be the next head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats. This hire could help get Sheppard back at Kentucky for another season.

Pope was roommates with Sheppard's dad, Jeff, in college, and these two were on the 1996 National Championship team.

Jeff Sheppard has confirmed that Pope has been in contact with Reed, and they are still sitting down as a family, trying to decide what the best decision is for their family.

If I had to put down my prediction right now, I would say that Sheppard more than likely will still head to the NBA Draft as he is projected to be a top-ten, potentially even top-five pick.

My confidence level that Sheppard would go to the NBA was very high before the hire of Pope, but now that he is the head coach, I believe Kentucky's chances have gone up.

A second-year Sheppard in Lexington in Pope's system would be scary. Sheppard wouldn't be afraid to shoot the basketball, and he very well could score 20+ points per game in an offense that values the three-point shot.

If Sheppard does head to the NBA Draft, he is a prototype of the type of player that Pope will want to bring in during his time in Lexington.

The basketball program is in a really good spot moving forward with or without Sheppard.