Reed Sheppard‘s time as a Kentucky Wildcat has come to a close, the 2024 Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Year officially taking his talents to the NBA. Considered a consensus top-10 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, Sheppard is turning down the opportunity to be the face of a new era of Kentucky basketball under first-year head coach Mark Pope — his father Jeff’s college roommate and fellow 1996 national champion. Pope acknowledged Sheppard needed to follow his heart when deciding his future plans, understanding the opportunity to be a lottery pick is a once-in-a-lifetime situation. “Tha…