Mark Pope and Jeff Sheppard's Friendship and the Role it Plays for Reed Sheppard

Nick Roushby:Nick Roush•04/12/24•

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The best freshman in college basketball has a very important decision to make about his future. As Reed Sheppard weighs his options, Kentucky has hired one of his Dad’s best friends.

Twenty-one years ago Mark Pope and Jeff Sheppard moved to Lexington to play Rick Pitino just a few months removed from his first Final Four appearance at Kentucky. The two hit it off instantly. The roommates didn’t need a TV at the Wildcat Lodge to be entertained.

Their early days at Kentucky spawned a lifelong friendship. Jeff Sheppard is excited to see Pope return to Lexington as the next Kentucky basketball coach. The two were on the phone late last night discussing the news. Sheppard gave a glowing review of his former teammate to Herald-Leader’s Ben Roberts, particularly his drive to succeed.

“What a teammate. What a student,” Sheppard said. “Just a hard worker. And a committed teammate — for one goal, and it is to win basketball games and win championships. And that’s his agenda in life. That’s the way that it was from day one, and he was able to stay laser-focused on that and sacrifice for the team, buy in for the team, do whatever was necessary.”

Does Mark Pope Change the Equation for Reed Sheppard?

As the BBN digests the hire, questions quickly arise about Pope’s resume, particularly as a recruiter. BYU has built-in obstacles to attracting players to Provo. Now that those roadblocks are gone, what can he do for Kentucky? His top recruit wears No. 15 for the Wildcats.

Reed Sheppard was the best freshman in college basketball last year. The point guard from London averaged 12.5 points per game while having the second-most steals (82) and third-best three-point shooting percentage (52.08) in single-season UK history.

Sheppard is a projected lottery pick, but the equation is a little different for the son of two former Kentucky basketball greats. That equation may change even more with Mark Pope coaching the Cats. His father wasn’t willing to say exactly how it will factor into Reed’s decision.

“It’s a good question,” said Jeff Sheppard. “You know, Mark has been a friend for a long time. I don’t know. Last night was a late night, and I haven’t really gotten to talk to Reed much about that. He’s trying to go through a process of gathering information to really see truly where he is. There’s obviously all kinds of talk. But with a decision like this, you can’t just listen to a little bit of talk. You really have to get concrete information. And so, we feel like we’re going through the process at the right speed.

“Will this have an impact? Or what is the timing? That’s still an unknown. It’s something that we will continue to work through. We’ll probably — as the Sheppards usually do — work through it as a family. With the door closed. And we’ll do our best to communicate when it’s the right time.”

This afternoon Jeff Sheppard joined The Alan Cutler Show and said he’s already talked with Pope about his son. If those conversations go well, the Big Blue Nation will have plenty of reasons to cheer in 2024-25.

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2024-05-04