Several “mountain” teams were in last week’s state tournament, including North Laurel, and the Sheppard/Noah impact is still being felt in mountain basketball and apparently will for quite a while.
“Back here in the mountains basketball is king,” said Breathitt County coach Jeff Honeycutt. “What they did just adds to the history of sports in the mountains. I watched Richie Farmer, John Pelphrey, The Unforgettables.
“When a mountain does good at the University of Kentucky, people really rally around him. I can’t describe the feeling you get from the fanbase. Everybody wants your team to win but if you are from the mountains you have that identity and the fans love you.”
North Laurel coach Nate Valentine knows what Sheppard, who is now in the NBA after being a first-round draft pick, and Noah did by joining the Kentucky basketball program to influence mountain basketball.
“What they have done shows guys there is hope and they can do it. If you want to play in the NBA, put your mind to it and shoot for that and don’t let anybody laugh at you,” Valentine said. “I said that early to Reed.
“Those guys worked at it. To see those guys improve like they have has been unbelievable. It’s no secret they have God given ability but made the most of it and got in the gym and worked. Every kid who plays at North Laurel thinks they are the next Reed Sheppard and I tell them I hope they are.”
He might not be the next Reed Sheppard, but 6-8 junior Reece Davidson of North Laurel — Sheppard’s cousin — made a name for himself at the state tourney. He had 41 points on 16-for-22 shooting and 10 rebounds in a quarterfinal loss to Montgomery County after having 35 points and nine rebounds in a first-round win over Breathitt County.
Western Kentucky coach Hank Plona was in Rupp Arena and saw him play.
