4-Star Kentucky Native Reed Sheppard Officially Signs With Wildcats
Reed Sheppard is the first member of Kentucky's Class of 2023 to officially sign for the Wildcats.
On Wednesday afternoon, the North Laurel High School product signed his national letter of intent with UK:
The 4-star London, Ky. native is one of four current members of the Wildcats' 2023 Class, joined by 5-stars Justin Edwards (No. 3 recruit in '23, per 247Sports), Aaron Bradshaw (No. 6) and Rob Dillingham (No. 9). It's also expected that top recruit DJ Wagner (No. 2) will announce his decision soon, with Kentucky as a potential destination.
Sheppard committed to Kentucky on Nov. 20, 2021, almost one year ago. Here's what 247's Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein said of the combo guard earlier this year in July:
"Sheppard is a throwback style guard who is skilled and exceptionally sound fundamentally. He is a solid athlete, but not dynamic or totally explosive. His attack is based on his ability to shoot the ball, make sound decisions, and process the game. He has a high and compact release that allows him to get his shot off and rates as one of the best free-throw shooters on any of the three major circuits at over 90%. He plays strong with the ball, is tight and efficient with it as a handler, has good use of both hands, and snaps his passes. He’s supremely confident in his approach and is capable of playing on and off the ball. Because he’s a tad upright off the dribble and lacks that extra gear of burst, he isn’t always able to flatten defensive pressure and ends up settling for tough shots. He converted only 29% of his three-point attempts as a result and while he’s a better shooter than that number indicates, his three-point range is going to be an even bigger emphasis at the next level and so being a driller is crucial. Defensively, he’s going to rely more on his intellect, physicality, and toughness than he is sheer footspeed."
The early signing period ends on Nov. 16. It's expected that Edwards, Bradshaw and Dillingham will all join Sheppard in putting pen to paper.
Watch: Ware, Livingston speak to the media ahead of Duquesne
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More on Cason Wallace's outstanding performance here.
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