By LARRY VAUGHTHe’s best remembered by University of Kentucky basketball fans for being the 1998 Final Four Most Outstanding Player when the Cats won the national championship in Tubby Smith’s first year as head coach.However, there’s always been another side to Jeff Sheppard that not everyone sees.
“I am a crier. I cry all the time,” said Sheppard. “I cried at my wedding. I cried after we beat Duke (in the 1998 NCAA Tournament regional final). I cried after we won the national championship. Crying is not a big deal for me.”Sheppard certainly cried last week after his son, Reed Sheppard, scored 37 points on 12-for-22 shooting from the field and 10-for-10 at the foul line, in the 13th Region Tournament title game win over Knox Central. That win sent Reed Sheppard, a junior, and his teammates to this week’s state tournament at Rupp Arena.“Getting to the state tournament is such a special event here in Kentucky,” Jeff Sheppard said. “So many kids in Kentucky dream of playing in the state tournament. It makes it even more special being in Rupp Arena. There are only a few states that have one state champion like Kentucky does.“For us personally, we are from a small town. Every year there are great stories about teams making the state tourney and now we get to be one of those stories. Our boys have played together their whole lives. They have grown up together and have been together for this whole run.”North Laurel (28-5) plays Pikeville Wednesday night and that will give Reed Sheppard the chance to do something his father never did.“When I reflect on my basketball days the greatest moments are my high school memories,” Jeff Sheppard said. “It’s just different playing for your town with your friends. I never made the state tournament (in Georgia). We had a great team in the region that knocked us off every year. My junior year we had a state championship caliber team. I missed the front end of the bonus that would have won the region. The team that beat us went on and won the state championship. I still remember that.”Jeff Sheppard hopes there will be a “huge crowd” at the state game.“We have a wonderful opponent and Pikeville won’t be afraid to travel, either,” the former UK star said. “I hope we have a good showing so the crowd can be excited.“This is so special for our family. Our daughter, Madison, played and her teams could not beat the Maci Morris teams, the Blair Green teams in the regional semifinals and finals. Now our boys played in the eighth, ninth and 10th grades and kept getting beat up. This year our boys played with the toughness they had to play with.”Numerous Kentucky fans who have yet to see Reed Sheppard play in person likely will get a chance to see him play in Rupp Arena but the North Laurel junior is used to eyes being on him.“He’s recognized wherever he goes and does a good job handling it. His teammates have enjoyed the ride, too,” Jeff Sheppard said. “They have been with Reed since kindergarten. They knew he could be a college recruit.“To them, he is just Reed. They paint themselves and go to football games. When the game is over they go to Waffle House. He has a future at Kentucky, but that is not today. Today is enjoying his teammates and enjoying getting to play in the state tournament.”Reed Sheppard is averaging 25.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and shooting 54.7 percent overall from the field, 38.5 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent at the foul line.