Reed Sheppard will never forget signing with Kentucky or his North Laurel roots

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Reed Sheppard, center, was all smiles surrounded by family members after signing with UK Wednesday. (Larry Vaught Photo)

LONDON — He’s played in national events across the country — and even on ESPN in Las Vegas last summer. He’s played in the Kentucky state high school tournament. He was recruited by schools across the country.

Yet there really is no place like home for North Laurel senior Reed Sheppard, the son of former UK players Stacey and Jeff Sheppard.

“Being a kid from Kentucky it was always a dream to go to Kentucky and finally putting pen to paper felt amazing and is something I will never forget,” Reed Sheppard said at a national signing day ceremony here at his high school auditorium.

BBN Tonight’s Eli Ghen talked with Reed Sheppard about playing for Kentucky. (Larry Vaught Photo)

All his North Laurel teammates were there — along the girls basketball team. A lot of family and friends also attended and that meant a lot to Sheppard.

“These people have been with me my whole life. I have been with them for 18 years and leaving them will be hard but I am super excited to go start  a new life (in college),” he said.  “I am only an hour away and will be able to come back and hang out with my friends and family. I will never forget where I came from and who was with me my whole life.”

Sheppard is expected to be part of a No. 1 ranked recruiting class at Kentucky along with Justin Edwards, Rob Dillingham and Aaron Bradshaw — who have all verbally committed — and star D.J. Wagner who is expected to commit and sign in the next few days.

“You work your whole life to play with the best and play against the best. Now having that opportunity next year is something really special to me and I am excited to know I will have a great group of guys around me and great coaches,” he said.

North Laurel High School principal Mike Black said it had been “exciting” to have a front row seat for Sheppard’s journey the last few years.

North Laurel teammates and coaches were all there to watch Reed Sheppard sign with Kentucky Wednesday. (Larry Vaught Photo)

“Everywhere I go people ask about Reed. I tell them as great a basketball player as he is, he’s that great a kid,” Black said. “In the hallway he might just come up behind me and hug me. That’s how he is. I am looking forward to watching him for the next four years and am super proud of him.”

Coach Nate Valentine said he was glad Sheppard was staying close to home so he could watch him play in college. He also said he knew even before Sheppard made his verbal commitment about a year ago that he was UK-bound.

“When he called me on a Saturday morning I was in my driveway and he said Kentucky had just called and offered (a scholarship). It was a completely different conversation (from when others had offered) and I know how happy he was. I knew he was going to Kentucky at that point.”

Valentine said his star guard remained the “same humble kid” throughout his recruiting process.

“He has done so much for North Laurel and hung in and stayed at North Laurel. When other opportunities would come along, he chose to stay here,” Valentine said.

His parents were both star players at UK — his father, Jeff, was MVP of the 1998 Final Four when Kentucky won the national title. I asked him if he thought he could be as good as one or both of them.

“I think I have a chance to do better than both,” Sheppard smiled and said. “They have both taught me a lot. I am lucky to have two great parents who taught me everything I know.”

He also emphasized again that they never pushed him to pick UK.

“They were very good about letting me go where I wanted,” he said. “They were awesome through the whole experience. I could not ask for anything else.”

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