UK basketball signees Reed Sheppard, Justin Edwards to face off Sunday at Freedom Hall

Jason Frakes, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read
Kentucky-commit Reed Sheppard of North Laurel at the UK HealthCare Boys Sweet 16 tournament Wednesday at Rupp Arena. March 15, 2022
Kentucky-commit Reed Sheppard of North Laurel at the UK HealthCare Boys Sweet 16 tournament Wednesday at Rupp Arena. March 15, 2022

A pair of future teammates for the University of Kentucky men’s basketball squad is scheduled to battle each other at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Freedom Hall.

Reed Sheppard’s North Laurel High School squad will face Justin Edwards’ Imhotep Charter from Philadelphia in the showcase game of the Play-By-Play Classic.

Sheppard, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, is the heavy favorite for 2023 Kentucky Mr. Basketball honors. He’s averaging 24.3 points and 6.3 rebounds for a Jaguars team that is off to a 4-0 start.

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Justin Edwards of Team Final looks down the court during an AAU basketball game on Sunday, May 29, 2022, at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky. Edwards is one of the top prospects in the 2023 class and has a scholarship offer from Kentucky.
Justin Edwards of Team Final looks down the court during an AAU basketball game on Sunday, May 29, 2022, at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky. Edwards is one of the top prospects in the 2023 class and has a scholarship offer from Kentucky.

Edwards, a 6-7 senior wing, posted 13 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks in Imhotep’s season-opening victory over South Shore (N.Y.) on Saturday. The Panthers are ranked No. 16 in the nation by ESPN.com.

Edwards and Sheppard both signed with UK last month. Edwards is the nation’s No. 2-ranked recruit in the Class of 2023, according to 247Sports.com. Sheppard is ranked No. 29 in the class.

The North Laurel-Imhotep matchup will be the fifth and final game in an event that will match Kentucky teams against out-of-state competition. Along with No. 4 North Laurel, the event features four other teams ranked among the top 25 in the state in The Courier Journal’s preseason poll of coaches – No. 3 Trinity, No. 13 Woodford County, No. 15 North Oldham and No. 18 DeSales.

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Here’s a look at the other matchups Sunday:

12:30 p.m. – DeSales vs. Moravian Prep (N.C.) – DeSales features junior Will Gibson (Liberty commit). Moravian is led by Isaac Ellis, a 5-foot-8 guard who’s ranked among the top freshmen in the country.

2:15 p.m. – Woodford County vs. Buchtel (Ohio) – Woodford County is led by senior John McCrear (Murray State signee) and top sophomore Jasper Johnson. Buchtel seniors Amire Robinson (Nevada) and Khoi Thurmon (Purdue-Fort Wayne) have signed with NCAA Division I schools.

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4 p.m. – North Oldham vs. Spire (Ohio) – Defending Eighth Region champion North Oldham has one of the state’s top senior guards in Dallas Roberts. Spire senior guard Daniel Pounds has signed with Old Dominion.

5:45 p.m. – Trinity vs. Huntington Prep (W.Va.) – Trinity is led by senior Cam McClain, junior Drae Vasser and freshman Jayden Johnson. Huntington Prep has a pair of three-star recruits in seniors Maki Johnson (6-3 guard) and Justin Johnson (6-8 guard).

Tickets are available for $21 at Ticketmaster.com.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Play-By-Play Classic: UK basketball signees Sheppard, Edwards