Reed Sheppard Named SEC Freshman of the Week

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s basketball freshman guard Reed Sheppard was tabbed the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday. Sheppard averaged 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while shooting 56.7% from the field in two games for the Wildcats last week.

The honor is the first of Sheppard’s career and the second for a UK freshman in as many weeks after D.J. Wagner was tabbed the league’s top-performing first-year player a week ago. UK has won more weekly SEC honors (127) than any other school during the John Calipari era, including 96 SEC Freshman of the Week awards and 31 SEC Player of the Week honors.

The London, Kentucky, native opened the week by helping the Cats dominate No. 8 Miami in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Sheppard scored 21 points and added five boards and four assists. He drained five 3-pointers in the 22-point win, while also disrupting the Hurricanes into three steals. Sheppard then made his first career start against UNC Wilmington on Saturday. He tied a career-high with 25 points and also corralled a career-best nine rebounds. 

The 6-foot-3 guard ranks among the nation’s best in several categories. He’s registering a 61.1% 3-point field-goal percentage (1^st), recording 3.00 steals per game (7^th), making 2.75 made 3s per game (60^th), recording 2.58 assist-to-turnover ratio (81^st), dishing 3.9 assists per game (160^th), swatting 0.88 blocks per game (336^th) and snaring 4.38 defensive rebounds per game (345^th). Sheppard is also one of the nation’s best in effective field-goal percentage and plus/minus statistics.

Sheppard and the Wildcats will travel to Philadelphia to take on Penn at noon ET on Saturday. The game will be played in Wells Fargo Center and air on ESPN2.