WATCH: Reed Sheppard signing draws hundreds of Kentucky fans
How popular is Reed Sheppard? Yesterday, hundreds of fans lined up outside Planet Fitness in Lexington in freezing cold temperatures to meet the Kentucky freshman and his parents Jeff and Stacey. It was Reed’s second autograph signing in recent weeks, the first taking place at Planet Fitness in Elizabethtown on Dec. 30. KSR videographer Steven Peake was on the scene, capturing the impressive crowd and speaking to Jeff, Stacey, and several young fans about the legend that is Reed Sheppard.
“The excitement that is within the state and the fans of Kentucky Basketball is incredible,” Stacey said. “We’ve not seen it like this in a long time so it’s fun to watch. It’s fun to be a part of. It’s exciting for Reed and his teammates to get to experience it.”
Jeff said it was especially cool to see Reed hold an autograph signing after taking him to so many former Wildcats’ signings when Reed was younger.
“We love seeing the little kids just because just a few years ago, that was Reed and we know how special it was for Reed to be able to meet some of the players too.”
Several of those kids were sporting No. 15 Kentucky jerseys. Stacey — who also realized her dream of being a Kentucky Wildcat — knows the role Reed can play for young fans across the state.
“I think it’s good for them just to see a Kentucky kid that’s living out his dream and just playing basketball the right way and giving back to the game with what he’s been given and just embracing everything that comes with it.
“If Reed can be a positive mentor to these little kids — he’s not perfect by any means, but he is a good guy for them to look up to and know that anything is possible if you just keep working and do things the right way.”
Sheppard ready to learn from Texas A&M loss
Reed’s signing came one day after Kentucky’s loss at Texas A&M. Although Reed sank two free throws to force overtime vs. the Aggies, he had his share of freshman moments. After hitting a clutch three to put Kentucky up by seven with 12:14 to go, Reed rushed the ball down the floor on the Cats’ next possession and fired away again, a miss that started a string of bad possessions that allowed Texas A&M to reclaim the lead.
“We were taking shots we needed to to get the lead and then we got the lead, and like you said, we probably had four possessions where we kind of shot bad shots, hero shots, so that’s part of it,” Reed told Goose Givens. “We’ve got to grow up from we got to learn from it. You especially can’t do that in a close game like that, especially on the road.”
Loss aside, Reed remains confident this Kentucky team is destined for great things.
“This team, everybody, no matter what, we’re gonna fight. Everyone wants to win. Nobody likes losing. This team is really, really special. Like you said, we fought, and no matter what, we’re going to continue to fight and just play for each other and just try and get the win.”
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