Reed Sheppard reflects on his decision to leave Kentucky. ‘It’s not what I was expecting.’

The writing was on the wall well before John Calipari bolted Kentucky for Arkansas and Mark Pope was named the new men’s basketball coach of the Wildcats.

But any UK fans still clinging to hope that Reed Sheppard might turn down the NBA draft and return for a second season in Lexington likely brightened up a bit when that change was made.

Pope, of course, was teammates with Sheppard’s father during his own college playing days. Jeff Sheppard and Pope were also roommates at UK and remain close friends. When it became clear that Pope was going to be the Wildcats’ next coach, Reed’s dad was perhaps his most vocal advocate.

Surely — it was fair to assume — that would bode well for Kentucky’s chances to keep Sheppard around for another season? Sorry, Coach Pope, the decision was already made.

“It was,” Sheppard confirmed at the NBA draft combine on Tuesday morning. “It had nothing to do with Coach Pope. We’re really close with him and his family, of course. And I’ve talked to him multiple times (since he was hired). He’s a really good coach. He’s a great dude. I think he’s going to do really, really good at Kentucky. I’m excited for him. And I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him and Kentucky.”

That future won’t involve Sheppard, and — no matter whether it was Calipari, Pope or someone else in charge of his beloved program — it’s a bittersweet thought to a Kentucky kid who grew up rooting for the Wildcats before getting to live out his boyhood dream, brief as it was.

Sheppard, who announced his decision to leave UK about a week after Pope was hired, was one of the first players to speak to reporters at the NBA combine in Chicago on Tuesday, and he walked the Herald-Leader through the timing of his decision to leave after his freshman year, and just how improbable that would have seemed a year ago.

“It’s just what I felt,” Sheppard said. “It was a tough decision — being from Kentucky and having to leave the fan base. You know, it was a dream to play there. So it was definitely tough to leave, but it was also a dream to play in the NBA, and I felt like this was the best shot. I felt like it was the best decision for me. And I was super excited.

“It was a great year. It was an unbelievable year. It was super fun. The team was amazing. Coaches, players, fans — everybody was amazing. I couldn’t ask for a better year. But at the end of the day, I had to do what was best for me.”

Even though that decision had already been made, Pope at least made a run at keeping his friend’s son — college basketball’s national freshman of the year, according to multiple outlets — home for another season as he attempts to build on his vision for the UK program.

Sheppard confirmed that Pope tried to talk him into staying.

“He did,” the 19-year-old said with a laugh, repeating those two words four times, perhaps to drive home the point of just how much the new UK coach wanted to keep him around.

Once Sheppard made his intentions clear, he said the two had a great conversation. He also smiled at the thought of “Kentucky coach Mark Pope” and the memory of being around him as a kid, bringing up a photo of the two of them together at the Sheppards’ house when Reed was just 8 years old.

“Him and his girls and all of us just hanging out and playing together,” he said of that day. “So it’s pretty cool now — seeing him have the coaching job — and I’m super proud of him. I’m excited for him and his family.”

Of course, if Sheppard was ultimately leaving for the draft anyway, he did Pope a favor by announcing his intentions when he did, instead of waiting until the May 29 deadline to reveal his decision, a move that might have made it even more difficult for the new Kentucky coach to add quality backcourt players to his first Wildcats roster.

To the surprise of no one who followed him during his freshman season, Sheppard repeatedly credited his college teammates — as well as Calipari and the UK coaching staff — for putting him in the position he’s currently in, projected as a possible top-five pick in next month’s draft.

He also acknowledged that he didn’t think he would be in this position a year ago, claiming that being a one-and-done college player wasn’t even on his mind amid his rise to national stardom this past season at Kentucky.

“I never thought about it at all. I’m not gonna lie. It never once went in my head,” Sheppard said. “Because coming into the year, it’s not what I was expecting. I was expecting to just enjoy the year, have fun, do what I needed to do to win, and try to play the best that I could. So that’s what I was doing throughout the whole year. I was just sticking to what I knew I could do. Just trying to do what was best for the team.

“And so the thought of the NBA never — I didn’t want to think about anything else other than the season and trying to be the best player and be the best person I could be for the University of Kentucky.”

As Sheppard continued to talk, the crowd around his station in the combine media room grew, and the conversation quickly transitioned away from UK and toward what’s coming next.

Reed Sheppard’s NBA future

Sheppard won’t be participating in the five-on-five scrimmages during combine week — the standard decision for anyone projected as highly as he is — but he’s already turned some heads in Chicago.

Unsurprisingly, Sheppard drew attention with his 3-point shooting work during the drills portion of the event Monday. Last year’s Kentucky Mr. Basketball was known for his outside shot in high school, and he made 52.1% of his 3-point attempts during his only season of college.

He did surprise many, however, with his maximum vertical jump, finishing in a tie for first place — with Devin Carter, Trentyn Flowers and Keshad Johnson — with a 42.0-inch jump. That put him just ahead of super-athletic Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile and combine darling Bronny James — the son of LeBron James — on the leaderboard.

Sheppard said he’d received plenty of messages since logging that leap. “Yeah, I’ve got some stuff about it. I don’t know if I was really expecting it. But it was pretty cool seeing that.

“They must have messed something up. There’s no way I jumped that high,” he continued, getting some laughs from the reporters assembled. “But, no, it was pretty cool seeing the 42 on the board.”

That won’t do anything to hurt his draft stock, which is already considerably high.

Sheppard’s projections have been all over the place since the NBA held its draft lottery here over the weekend. Updated mock drafts from ESPN, The Athletic, CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, Bleacher Report and The Ringer have him going anywhere from No. 3 to No. 9 overall, with the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzles mentioned as possible landing spots by those particular outlets.

There have even been advocates for the idea that the Atlanta Hawks — surprise winners of the draft lottery — should trade current franchise guard Trae Young and use that No. 1 pick on a player like Sheppard, utilizing the return on such a deal to build a stronger overall roster.

Sheppard didn’t tip his hand on where he’d most like to end up. He was asked about several different scenarios by reporters covering several of the aforementioned teams — and others — that might end up selecting him on the first night of the NBA draft, set for June 26 in Brooklyn.

Which number ends up next to his name on the draft board? Doesn’t much matter to him, Sheppard said. Whether he primarily plays point guard or off the ball in his first season? He’s OK with either, a familiar refrain from his UK playing days.

“It doesn’t matter what I have to do, as long as we’re winning. As long as everyone’s having fun,” he said. “I said it going into Kentucky. I don’t care if I have to pass the ball. I don’t care if I have to shoot the ball. I don’t care if I have to get some water for the guys. Whatever it takes for the team to win, I’ll do.”

This week, he’s going to enjoy his time at the combine, hanging out around his fellow future draft picks, catching up with old teammates — Rob Dillingham, Justin Edwards and Antonio Reeves are here, too — and meeting with decision-makers from NBA teams.

He’ll find out what comes next soon enough.

“I’m good for whatever. It’s the NBA, right?” Sheppard said. “That’s what I’ve said this whole time. You just have to enjoy the process. I’m not expecting to go into the NBA and be an All-Star my first year. I’m not going to expect to go in and shoot 20 balls a game. That just — most of the time — that doesn’t happen. So I’m good with whatever and just doing whatever it takes to win. And I’m super excited for it. Whatever happens, happens. And I can’t wait for the opportunity, wherever I am. And it’s going to be a blast.”

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