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Kentucky coach John Calipari has gotten a spark off the bench all season long by subbing in guards Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard. The freshmen have boosted the team with their ability to shoot, pass and defend.
It’s no accident that Dillingham and Sheppard have great chemistry. The two have become very close in a short amount of time, according to Sheppard.
“Me and Rob have a really good relationship. We’re roommates in the lodge. We’ve always been close, ever since we got on campus. Our chemistry on the court is just from playing together. In practice, we’re always shooting together,” Sheppard said.
That chemistry has led to big results for both players, and for the team. Dillingham is second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game and second in assists with 57. Sheppard is fifth on the team in scoring (11.9 points per contest) and leads the team in assists with 58.
Sheppard admits to being close to Dillingham, but he also believes that the chemistry extends to everyone on the team.
“It’s not just me and Rob, that’s the thing,” Sheppard said. “Every single person here is really, really close with each other. It doesn’t matter who it is, everyone is really, really close and I think that’s what makes this team so special.”
The Cats will take their 12-2 record, and their chemistry, on the road for the second consecutive Saturday when UK faces Texas A&M in College Station (2 p.m. ET, ESPN). Sheppard and the Cats hope that the experience they had last week at Florida will pay dividends this weekend.
“It was a lot of fun. It was our first real road game,” Sheppard said. “The whole game, they were booing, doing the Gator chomp. It was good for us to go through that and be able to stick together as a team and just keep fighting and playing.”
As for the Aggies, Sheppard knows they are better than their record indicates.
“Texas A&M is a really, really good team. They’re really physical,” Sheppard said. “Coach Williams does a really good job with the team. They’re 0-2 right now but I don’t think that means anything at all, going into their place. We’re expecting a battle.”
One Response
He has also said that team accomplishments are great, but staying focused is key. If you guys keep following Sports Illustrated hub bub about draft process in the NBA it’s gonna end ugly. Remember, we are KENTUCKY & that name alone, speaks for itself.
Good luck today. Let’s hope we see more "String Music" from the Cats. If the opposing fans get out of hand, one would hope that the refs T them up.
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