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Reed Sheppard is carrying on the family legacy at Kentucky. John Calipari sees far more similarities to his mother’s game.
Sheppard’s parents both played for the Wildcats, but the head coach believes the freshman guard operates more like Stacey than Jeff.
“That’s who he is. He’s just like his mother. That’s how she played,” Calipari said after the game. “His dad shot it every time. His mother: assists, deflections, and still scored and ran the team.”
Stacey Reed Sheppard ranks sixth in program history in all-time assists (442) and second in steals (309). Her son has quickly demonstrated those same skills, leading the team with 4.1 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
Reed showcased those abilities when dishing out five dimes and collecting four steals in Saturday’s 63-57 win over Arkansas. The performance came after he played a season-low 15 minutes in a 79-62 loss to South Carolina.
Calipari said he left Sheppard on the bench because he possessed a “deer in the headlight look.”
“If he had come up to me and [said], ‘Just stick with me. I’ll be fine,’ I probably would have played him,” Calipari told reporters.
Jeff Sheppard won two national championships with the Wildcats, averaging 13.7 points on 11 shot attempts per game in his final year. While his son isn’t as aggressive of a scorer in his first year, Reed is averaging a more efficient 11.5 points with a 55.3 three-point percentage.
The No. 6 Wildcats improved to 15-4 ahead of two SEC matchups against Florida and Tennessee next week.