Reed Sheppard Named 2023 Kentucky Mr. Basketball

[bugatti]

Congrats, Reed!

I'm a sucker for legacies and bloodlines. Glad Sheppard will be suiting up for the Wildcats.

[PurplePride92]

24 minutes ago, okie1 said:

Who have they turned on?  IMO they apply pressure to play the homegrown kids...I don't feel like they turned on Dontaie Allen.

I guess it depends on where we get info from.  I’ve seen and heard UK fans turn on multiple kids from KY when they don’t live up to their expectations.  CJ Frederick is getting it big time right now.  Dontaie Allen got it too. I’ve heard and seen plenty of “he was never good enough to play here anyways”.  

[PurplePride92]

23 minutes ago, bugatti said:

Congrats, Reed!

I'm a sucker for legacies and bloodlines. Glad Sheppard will be suiting up for the Wildcats.

Same here.  

[4 Quarters]

45 minutes ago, TheDeuce said:

Here you go: 

 

https://www.wymt.com/2022/11/09/watch-reed-sheppard-officially-sign-letter-intent-with-uk/

Thanks, but if it's in this material, I can't find it.

[Randy Parker]

24 minutes ago, PurplePride92 said:

I guess it depends on where we get info from.  I’ve seen and heard UK fans turn on multiple kids from KY when they don’t live up to their expectations.  CJ Frederick is getting it big time right now.  Dontaie Allen got it too. I’ve heard and seen plenty of “he was never good enough to play here anyways”.  

It's a tough situation for a Kentucky kid, and what you're pointing out is one major reason why.

The other is the inverse of that.  When the team is struggling, and sometimes when it isn't struggling, the fans can clamor for the home-state kid to get some clock even though he might not be ready for quality minutes.

[PurplePride92]

10 minutes ago, Randy Parker said:

It's a tough situation for a Kentucky kid, and what you're pointing out is one major reason why.

The other is the inverse of that.  When the team is struggling, and sometimes when it isn't struggling, the fans can clamor for the home-state kid to get some clock even when thought he might not be ready for quality minutes.

Jon Hood. Jarrod Polson. Dontaie.  
 

Yeah. Can’t forget that aspect of it too.  It seems like the only way the dream scenario of playing for UK as a KY kid is if you get minutes and they win a title.  Anthony Epps.  
 

Whole lot of pressure for the KY kids.  

[Randy Parker]

Just now, PurplePride92 said:

Jon Hood. Jarrod Polson. Dontaie.  
 

Yeah. Can’t forget that aspect of it too.  It seems like the only way the dream scenario of playing for UK as a KY kid is if you get minutes and they win a title.  Anthony Epps.  
 

Whole lot of pressure for the KY kids.  

Richie Farmer.  Josh Carrier.  Derek Willis.  

Epps is a good example of a Kentucky kid that had a really positive experience.  Derek Anderson would be another.  Darius Miller during the Cal years.  All of those guys were surrounded by mega-talent.  That certainly helps.

[4 Quarters]

8 minutes ago, PurplePride92 said:

Jon Hood. Jarrod Polson. Dontaie.  
 

Yeah. Can’t forget that aspect of it too.  It seems like the only way the dream scenario of playing for UK as a KY kid is if you get minutes and they win a title.  Anthony Epps.  
 

Whole lot of pressure for the KY kids.  

Polson was a walk-on whom actually played himself into a scholarship player.  Actually turned out to be a pretty nice addition.

[LethalPG]

I think Reed is much better than any of the most recent KY kids that have went to UK, but I guess time will tell.  Reed can impact the game in many different ways.  I think he got better as an outside shooter during his prep career, and that should suit him well with his great floor vision and instincts.

[Mojocat]

33 minutes ago, LethalPG said:

I think Reed is much better than any of the most recent KY kids that have went to UK, but I guess time will tell.  Reed can impact the game in many different ways.  I think he got better as an outside shooter during his prep career, and that should suit him well with his great floor vision and instincts.

Yep, very much agreed.   He's legit, me thinks, as opposed to the Kentucky high school star that may or may not be a high D1 player and the fans pressure the coach into taking him at UK.  Also, there are years where a kid commits to UK and sows up the Mr. Basketball race, and you can legitimately claim he's not the best player, he only got it because he's going to Kentucky.  That's not the case this year, at least in my opinion.

[Falcon Pride]

5 hours ago, 4 Quarters said:

Thanks, but if it's in this material, I can't find it.

I think you missed the joke.

Once Sheppard signed with UK the honor was a given.

While that may have happened in the past, this one is well deserved. He had a great career and a great senior season.

[Randy Parker]

6 hours ago, TheDeuce said:

Here you go: 

 

https://www.wymt.com/2022/11/09/watch-reed-sheppard-officially-sign-letter-intent-with-uk/

I was a little slow.

[bugatti]

3 hours ago, Mojocat said:

Yep, very much agreed.   He's legit, me thinks, as opposed to the Kentucky high school star that may or may not be a high D1 player and the fans pressure the coach into taking him at UK.  Also, there are years where a kid commits to UK and sows up the Mr. Basketball race, and you can legitimately claim he's not the best player, he only got it because he's going to Kentucky.  That's not the case this year, at least in my opinion.

I see this come up almost every year around this time. How many of these fit this billing?

[DragonFire]

41 minutes ago, bugatti said:

I see this come up almost every year around this time. How many of these fit this billing?

I don't know about many of them, but I remember there were people at the time who felt like Patrick Sparks deserved it over Josh Carrier, and it only grew louder as their college careers went on.

[bugatti]

2 hours ago, DragonFire said:

I don't know about many of them, but I remember there were people at the time who felt like Patrick Sparks deserved it over Josh Carrier, and it only grew louder as their college careers went on.

And maybe that is so, but did Carrier announce early so that he could lock up the spot? People say this each year like it is fact, but I think much of it comes from the real fact the Kentucky Mr. Basketball player isn't always offered at UK so it ticks off people.