“Kentucky is a special place. College basketball is a special place. The decision was bittersweet for sure,” Sheppard told CBS Sports. “I love Coach Cal. I love Kentucky.”
Though he was ranked as the No. 79 player in the 2023 class by 247Sports, Sheppard quickly emerged as a two-way superstar. He averaged 12.5. points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals while playing 28.9 minutes — doing so coming off the bench. At 6-foot-3, Sheppard earned Freshman of the Year honors from CBS Sports, the United States Basketball Writers Association and other outlets. He also took home the SEC Rookie of the Year award.
He is the ultra-rare player to earn national accolades and awards despite not being a full-time starter. Sheppard started just five of his 33 games as a Wildcat.
In addition to shooting a scorching 52.1% from 3-point range on 4.4 attempts per game, Sheppard proved his value by consistently making the right play on a Kentucky team that was better from 3 than any team ever before under Calipari. A couple of Sheppard’s biggest performances came on the road against high-level defenses; Sheppard poured in 32 points at Mississippi State and 27 at Tennessee in late-season victories for the Wildcats.
It wasn’t all rosy, of course. A Kentucky team stacked with talent finished 23-10 and ended its season with a thud, falling to Oakland in the NCAA Tournament’s first round. That eventually triggered Calipari’s exit from the program; he’s now at Arkansas. But Sheppard was a consistent bright spot on this team, as CBS Sports featured earlier this season.
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