Jeff Sheppard admits shocking reality of son Reed Sheppard's unexpected "one-and-done" journey at Kentucky

Reed Sheppard joined the Kentucky Wildcats as the 79th-ranked prospect according to 247Sports. However, the shooting guard became the first American college player to be taken off the board in the 2024 NBA draft when the Houston Rockets selected him third overall.

While Reed’s candidacy was gradually predictable through his matchups across the year, his father, Jeff Sheppard, never expected him to be a one-and-done player. With hopes of witnessing his son play in the NBA, Jeff anticipated the Houston Rockets guard would maximize his college eligibility.

“We weren’t expecting Reed to be one-and-done at all,” Jeff Sheppard said in an exclusive with On3. “We were planning on being here for four years.”

Nevertheless, being a two-time NCAA champion with Kentucky and an All-SEC player, Jeff saw his son’s potential to make an early leap.

Reed deployed his second 20+ point game in late November during the ACC/SEC Challenge against the Hurricanes. John Calipari asked Sheppard to play his first 30-minute game and the freshman delivered. He scored 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block on 8-13 overall shooting and 55% from the three.

“From that moment on, it was a blur. It was truly every single day, something going on,” Jeff said.

Jeff Sheppard tried to keep his son, Reed, away from the outside noise

Since he was in high school, people said that Reed had something missing in his game. It was either his basketball IQ or his ability to score over taller players; but most of the time, the concern was his height. In the ACC/SEC matchup, he made a statement.

As he stuffed the stat sheet in a nationally televised game, fans and NBA scouts noticed his potential. Jeff and Stacey were then flooded with interest from league representatives, but they maintained their silence to help Reed focus on his craft.

They studied the entire recruitment process for their son and spearheaded all meetings and conversations. Even when Reed learned about the interest in him through year-long mock drafts, his parents chose to work in the background.