Reed Sheppard's Legacy at Kentucky -- I hate to disagree..

[K_TIME]

Hey. Almost 50-year fan here. Read my earlier post and they are all positive. I loved Reed and appreciated his play. I really do. However, for those saying that Reed is a Kentucky legend, I am not sure I can agree. We will remember him, but he will not go down as a legend. No championship, no final four, no SEC championship, and one just good year. That is not a legend. Another year would have made the difference but no legend status here for a couple great games. Thoughts?

Exactly right…he is nowhere close to a legend

The second main reason (his top reason was his really good offensive skill set of shooting and passing) reason his status is escalated is he was the good guy to contrast the proverbial bad guy…which was Calipari and his nonsense coaching to bring him off the bench

So many imagine Reed would have shined even more with a coach ther believed in him more but was held back by Cal ineptitude (which is probably true)

But I don’t out Reed in legend status…..we accomplished about zilch in his year here

 

[know1]

I haven't read this thread, but it's pretty difficult to develop much of a legacy in only one year and not even being a starter. If he wasn't from KY, his legacy wouldn't even be talked about. He had some good stats and won some personal awards, but it wasn't over the top and the team didn't have much success.

Think of this, Oscar won National Player of the Year, and pretty much nobody mentions his legacy.

I love Reed and loved Jeff. I wish we could have seen more of him, for sure. But fans have propped him up much higher than he deserves simply because he's from KY.

 

[ManitouDan]

– 1st in 3PFG% (52.1)– 2nd in steals (82)– 5th in made 3s (75)– 8th in assists (148)– 9th in FT%

All that success and will be remembered by a player who looked overwhelmed by a mid level D 2 type team in the biggest game of his career . The " Old accountant " game as it will be recalled years from now . Where a legend was made , but it wasnt Reed Shepherd .

 

[Creed Bratton]

I agree he had a great freshman season and the opportunity to become a legend. However he chose the NBA over being a UK legend and there is nothing wrong with that. Good luck Reed and I hope you succeed, become rich and a huge booster to the UK NIL fund. 😂

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

I love Sheppard. We all do.

But in terms of legends, I'd put guys like Magloire, Prince, and even Allen Edwards ahead of Reed.

Why? Because they actually won here. Sheppard's legacy will always have a question mark by it because I think he could have gone down as the best of all time if he wanted to stay here a few years.

Instead, he's a slightly more glorified Tyler Herro. At least Herro won three tournament games.

 

[ThroughBlue]

I am a UK fan first and foremost. Ill associate him with losing to Oakland more than I will anything else. It sucks. Yes im bitter and its probably not fair to Reed that I feel that way.

BlowJ Boston gets associated with 9-16
Oscar gets associated with St Peters
Reed gets the Oakland game

 

[RexShepcat]

He was a beloved player for his one year no doubt but only what could have been as a legend at UK. If he does well as an NBA player all of that is a moot point, but if he doesn’t I’m not really sure how he will be remembered overall. Best of luck Reed!!

 

[MidseasonTweak]

Agreed, OP. Not a legend, but too good to pass up going to the draft.

 

[truebluewildcat]

Understand the financial aspect, so can't really criticize.

However, as far as legacy.

Just another OAD. Unfortunately.

Hoping Pope kind of changes that culture, and that MBB in general settles down at some point. I do think the pendulum will swing back in the other direction.

CBB and powers to be will ultimately realize the constant turnover via portal, combined with OAD even though that's just a handful of kids, leads to waning interest and no star power.

As things become more professional with pay/NIL I think we'll see contracts. Contracts will all teams, and the game in general to get kids to stay put.

Right now everything is still kind of wild west, figuring shit out. Ultimately, individual programs, and college sports in general, can take back some power via contracts that dictate a kid stay put.

If the league or another school wants a kid, they can buy him out.

 

[MakinMusic]

Take a step back. Stop acting like children. He did the right thing. If he were my kid, he would be doing the same things. I wish him well.

 

[TheFolker]

Unfortunately for Reed he will go down in history as a kid who scored less than 13 a game for one season, never won a SEC or NCAA game, and left just like all the calipari players did.

Take that a step further. He never won a high school sweet 16 game either.

 

[UK-chulo]

He will become a legend after meeting with Tyler Herro’s stylist upon entering the NBA.

 

[HeismaNole]

Take that a step further. He never won a high school sweet 16 game either.

I give him a pass for his senior year where they got paired with defending state champion GRC who would go on to lose in the state championship in 2023. However, in 2022, he lost to Pikeville. That was bad.

 

[MrHotDice]

Hey. Almost 50-year fan here. Read my earlier post and they are all positive. I loved Reed and appreciated his play. I really do. However, for those saying that Reed is a Kentucky legend, I am not sure I can agree. We will remember him, but he will not go down as a legend. No championship, no final four, no SEC championship, and one just good year. That is not a legend. Another year would have made the difference but no legend status here for a couple great games. Thoughts?

The odds are Reed will fail in the NBA. He will have millions but his legacy will be just that, no legand no legacy.

 

[Slowwalker]

Reed was an amazing player and will be remembered as such. He won’t however have any sort of legacy or be considered when discussing legends.

His last college game he put up 3 points against Oakland. Not exactly cementing your place amongst the greats.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I love Sheppard. We all do.

But in terms of legends, I'd put guys like Magloire, Prince, and even Allen Edwards ahead of Reed.

Why? Because they actually won here. Sheppard's legacy will always have a question mark by it because I think he could have gone down as the best of all time if he wanted to stay here a few years.

Instead, he's a slightly more glorified Tyler Herro. At least Herro won three tournament games.

See thats the thing.. I'm not sure I would even say I "love" Reed at this point. I know for some, his heritage matters, but it means zilch to me. I don't think he makes it onto my top20 players under Cal.

I also don't think there was much risk for him coming back, and he's going to the NBA no matter what, not even keeping the door open to come back in case he hears he's more of a 20th pick. He clearly wnts the NBA now, no matter where he is drafted. It's hard for me to really care for Reed at this point. Cool his parents played for UK.. that just doesn't hold much weight for me.

I'm also not going to blame Cal fully for Reed's play. Some of that is on Reed. He just didn't seem ready for the moment. He didn't demand the ball, and he likely didn't demand more time. The players have to hold SOME of the responsibility. I think many here assumed he had this love for UK, and I don't think that was the case.

Wish him well of course.. but his tenure here went down with a whimper.

 

[Soupbean]

Reed will always be appreciated by BBN but think another year would have solidified his legacy. With just the one year his crown will lose some of its shine for sure, mainly because of the timing and situation.

He had a great year but no question he and the team ended on a big disapointment. Then with all the change we could really have used him to solidify things next year. Now, even though we all love the guy he just ended up being another one of Cal's one and dones when it was all over with leaving a little bit of unfulfilled feeling across the fanbase.

But he and his family are such good folks you cant help but wish him the best and root him on. Just think the legacy did take a little bit of a hit though which is a shame.

 

[ThroughBlue]

Take a step back. Stop acting like children. He did the right thing. If he were my kid, he would be doing the same things. I wish him well.

If he was your kid he wouldnt already be worth millions like he is being Stacy Reeds kid.

 

[UKGrad93]

I am a UK fan first and foremost. Ill associate him with losing to Oakland more than I will anything else. It sucks. Yes im bitter and its probably not fair to Reed that I feel that way.

BlowJ Boston gets associated with 9-16
Oscar gets associated with St Peters
Reed gets the Oakland game

Yep. I remember the last thing I saw mostly. Choking in the first round.

 

[qwesley]

We would have zero Cal titles if Terrance Jones' parents had told him to go get the money and he got no NIL.

 

[UKBrassowTipIN]

Ppl consider Rex one tho, right?

 

[ThroughBlue]

No but Rex played twice as many games as Reed

 

[JerseyCat84]

If he came back next year and still didn’t win all the things that you mentioned .

Would you still say he wasn’t a legend ?

yup

 

[USMC Cat]

Hey. Almost 50-year fan here. Read my earlier post and they are all positive. I loved Reed and appreciated his play. I really do. However, for those saying that Reed is a Kentucky legend, I am not sure I can agree. We will remember him, but he will not go down as a legend. No championship, no final four, no SEC championship, and one just good year. That is not a legend. Another year would have made the difference but no legend status here for a couple great games. Thoughts?

If Perry comes to UK and wins a title, Reed will be an afterthought.

 

[USMC Cat]

The odds are Reed will fail in the NBA. He will have millions but his legacy will be just that, no legand no legacy.

He'll make enough money to come back and open up a franchise of car dealerships.

 

[Hopmix]

If he was your kid he wouldnt already be worth millions like he is being Stacy Reeds kid.

They didn’t make any money. Jeff played 2 years on a. Rookie deal. Made 600k. Reed being a lottery pick could reach as high as 11 million because he has no brand. He’s not a Zion Williamson. people need to keep in mind that’s he’s in a weak class. The average career for a top 10 pick in the nba is 6 seasons. I think there’s a very good chance this kid doesn’t make it to a second deal because they will draft over him next season. So he has a lot to prove. All that said. He’s a potential lottery pick. Could make up to 11 million on his rookie deal. . Assume he saves well and then pulls in another million doing camps and another 4-8 playing overseas. 17-20 million over a 10 years is gonna make for some pretty good living in eastern Kentucky. So despite me thinking he’s too young for the league I see all the reasons why his team is saying you have to go.

 

[FilsonCat]

Reed is family and comes from people who genuinely care about the program. I would not begrudge him for a minute for moving on to the pinnacle of the sport. I am hoping the feedback he has been getting is legit.

 

[MakinMusic]

If he was your kid he wouldnt already be worth millions like he is being Stacy Reeds kid.

Don’t be so sure. It’s absurd to think because someone has money, significant money, that they wouldn’t want or seek more. It’s equally silly to think one wouldn’t want to seize the greatest opportunity of his lifetime.

Seriously…..the fan blowback is just absolute nonsense.

 

[mg0721]

Want nothing but the best for him, but he is not in the class of Jamal Mashburn, Dan Issel, Kenny Walker, Tony Delk, Jack Givens, Tayshaun Prince, Jeff Sheppard, etc...

 

[ThroughBlue]

They didn’t make any money. Jeff played 2 years on a. Rookie deal. Made 600k. Reed being a lottery pick could reach as high as 11 million because he has no brand. He’s not a Zion Williamson. people need to keep in mind that’s he’s in a weak class. The average career for a top 10 pick in the nba is 6 seasons. I think there’s a very good chance this kid doesn’t make it to a second deal because they will draft over him next season. So he has a lot to prove. All that said. He’s a potential lottery pick. Could make up to 11 million on his rookie deal. . Assume he saves well and then pulls in another million doing camps and another 4-8 playing overseas. 17-20 million over a 10 years is gonna make for some pretty good living in eastern Kentucky. So despite me thinking he’s too young for the league I see all the reasons why his team is saying you have to go.

I wasnt even referring to his dads money. His moms side was already loaded.

 

[rivercatinfl]

Agree. Like the kid and wish him the best but now he joins a list of OAD's that we look at in 5 years and say "Whatever happened to..."

I think this is right! I'm not convinced he's ready for the league. He could have used another year.
Maybe he will be the next John Stockton but he has an equal chance to be the next (just another guy in the G league)

 

[Catzman]

He is a legend where it counts-with many young UK fans. He has a cult following with them.

 

[Emarc]

Just another OAD that did nothing for us. Bye.

 

[Emarc]

Reed Sheppard was a Kentucky legend before he ever played for UK.

Was

 

[Emarc]

Don’t be so sure. It’s absurd to think because someone has money, significant money, that they wouldn’t want or seek more. It’s equally silly to think one wouldn’t want to seize the greatest opportunity of his lifetime.

Seriously…..the fan blowback is just absolute nonsense.

just amother OAD

 

[The_Answer1313]

I think it's less about the time spent here and more to do with the fact they didn't win anything.

If Reed played one year but won a title, I feel he would definitely be looked at in a different light.

 

[KFuqua]

He is a legend where it counts-with many young UK fans. He has a cult following with them.

I would tend to think that a lot of those kids who attended his camp last weekend were crushed when he decided to leave Kentucky and that following will drop very rapidly.

 

[MakinMusic]

just amother OAD

Another one and done for sure. Not just another because of his ties to the program. No ill will from me for pursuing his dream and striking while the iron is hot. Just too many variables over the course of another season.

 

[ORCAT]

Great kid, great family, exciting freshman season and I loved watching him play. But, absolutely not a UK legend, not even close.

 

[CHAMPCAT11]

I agree some of these posts are bitter. My personal opinion being a little older and having the vantage of hindsight, I feel like those years would have been special for him at UK and he would have been better off in the long run HAPPINESS-WISE. Happiness doesn't make the world go round unfortunately. Those years could just as easily be rough rebuilding years with little to no success.

The league just doesn't seem as appealing to me as it once did. No one seems to have heart. It's all about the money and not at all about loving basketball or even winning. Still the greatest players in the world but it just doesn't feel as electric as it did even 10 years ago. I also have my concerns that he isn't as ready as everyone seems to make him out. I am hoping he gets some good coaching for a change and has a great career. I would be really proud to see a mountain kid be an all-star and I might even bare watching some games.

But regardless of all of that I'm not Reed and I don't have a lottery pick staring back at me. If this was his dream then he doesn't owe anyone an explanation. Especially not some random kentuckians on an internet forum.

Well said.