Reed Sheppard, pair of SEC transfers highlight Kentuckians to watch in men’s NCAA tourney

The state of Kentucky is well-represented in the NCAA Tournament’s field of 68 with UK, Morehead State and Western Kentucky all earning bids, and this year’s slate of Kentuckians making the field is headed by Wildcats freshman phenom Reed Sheppard and a pair of SEC transfers who started out their careers at colleges in the Bluegrass State.

Here’s a look at players with ties to Kentucky who’ll get a chance to star in this year’s edition of NCAA March Madness.

Starting five

Reed Sheppard, Kentucky: The 6-foot-3 freshman guard was the 2023 Mr. Basketball winner out of North Laurel and is the son for former Kentucky stars Jeff and Stacey Reed Sheppard. Jeff Sheppard was the 1998 Final Four MVP and won two NCAA championships. Reed Sheppard, the league coaches’ SEC Freshman of the Year, is third in scoring for UK at 12.8 points per game, first in assists (4.5) and first in steals (2.5). He’s shooting 52.5% from 3-point range and 83.1% from the free-throw line. He has made just five starts in 32 games but is third on the team in minutes at 29.0 per contest.

Johni Broome, Auburn: The 6-10 junior forward/center starred for two years at Morehead State before joining the Tigers ahead of last season. He was named first-team All-SEC and to the SEC All-Defensive Team and averages 16.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.2 blocked shots.

Tolu Smith III, Mississippi State: The 6-11 graduate forward started his college career at Western Kentucky, where he averaged 3.3 points and 2.6 rebounds as a freshman in his lone season with the Hilltoppers. This season, he is averaging 15.2 points and 8.4 rebounds for the Bulldogs.

Tre King, Iowa State: The 6-7 senior forward played in high school at Lexington Christian and Hargrave Academy before making college stops at Georgetown University and Eastern Kentucky, where he was a first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference pick in 2020-21. He has started all 34 games this season for the Cyclones and is averaging 9.1 points, a team-best 5.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 23.4 minutes. King had two points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes in Iowa State’s Big 12 Tournament championship game victory against Houston.

Dieonte Miles, Morehead State: The 7-foot graduate forward starred in high school at Walton-Verona and played three seasons at Xavier before joining the Eagles. He has started 29 of 31 games and averages 5.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots. Miles had four rebounds and two blocked shots in Morehead State’s OVC Tournament championship game victory against Little Rock.

Sixth man

Dontaie Allen, Western Kentucky: The 6-6 senior guard/forward was the 2019 Mr. Basketball winner out of Pendleton County. He started his college career at Kentucky before transferring to play for WKU ahead of last season. He averages 8.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 20.9 minutes while shooting a team-best 39.7% from 3-point range. Allen was injured in the Hilltoppers’ conference tournament semifinals victory and missed the finals for the league tournament champs, so it is unclear if he’ll be able to play in the NCAA Tournament.

In the rotation

Jemarl Baker Jr., New Mexico: The 6-5 graduate guard began his college career at Kentucky and has also made stops at Arizona and Fresno State. He averaged 2.3 points and 0.5 rebounds as a redshirt freshman at UK in 2018-19. Now with the Lobos and playing for Richard Pitino, he has averaged 4.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 17.9 minutes while starting 12 of the team’s 34 games. Baker was held scoreless but had four rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes off the bench in New Mexico’s victory against San Diego State in the Mountain West Tournament championship game.

Sydney Curry, Grand Canyon: The 6-8 senior forward previously played two seasons each at John A. Logan and Louisville. He averages 3.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9.4 minutes off the bench for the Lopes. He did not play in the team’s WAC Tournament finals victory against UT Arlington.

Jack Edelen, Western Kentucky: The 5-10 freshman guard starred in high school at Male in Louisville. He averages 0.9 points, 0.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 8.7 minutes across 26 of the team’s 33 games.

Teagan Moore, Western Kentucky: The 6-5 freshman guard scored more than 3,300 points in his high school career at Owen County, including 31.7 per game as a senior. He has played in 27 of the Hilltoppers’ 33 games, averaging 6.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 14.0 minutes. Moore had seven points and four rebounds in 21 minutes in WKU’s Conference USA Tournament championship game victory against UTEP.

Jerone Morton, Morehead State: The 6-4 freshman guard was the Boys’ Sweet 16 MVP for champion George Rogers Clark in 2021-22. He has averaged 2.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 13.2 minutes for the Eagles.

Jae’Lyn Withers, North Carolina: The 6-9 graduate forward previously played three seasons at Louisville before joining the Tar Heels ahead of this campaign. He averages 3.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 12.1 minutes off the bench for UNC.

Reserves

Brennan Canada, Kentucky: The 6-5 graduate forward scored 1,371 points in high school at George Rogers Clark. He has played in five games without scoring this season for the Wildcats.

Grant Darbyshire, Kentucky: The 6-3 sophomore guard was born in Florence but played in high school across the Ohio River for Sycamore in Cincinnati. He has played in four games without scoring for the Wildcats.

Brady Dingess, Morehead State: The 6-1 freshman guard starred in high school at Martin County. He has averaged 0.5 points in 1.6 minutes across 12 games played for the Eagles.

Jaylen Dorsey, Western Kentucky: The 6-5 junior guard scored more than 1,000 points in his high school career for Berea. He started out as a manager for the Hilltoppers. He has averaged 1.4 points and 0.7 rebounds in 1.9 minutes across seven appearances.

Trey Hicks, Longwood: The 6-9 junior forward played at South Oldham before finishing his high school career at the Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Hicks, who has battled injuries throughout his time with the Lancers, hadn’t played this season until the Big South Tournament championship game where he scored two points and grabbed two rebounds in seven minutes of an 85-59 victory against UNC Asheville.

Walker Horn, Kentucky: The 6-3 sophomore guard is the son of former Western Kentucky star and coach Darrin Horn, who now leads Northern Kentucky’s men’s program. Walker Horn played two seasons at Covington Catholic before finishing up at Westlake in Austin, Texas. He has played in four games without scoring for the Wildcats.

Isaac Stansbury, Mississippi State: The 6-1 graduate guard played his final two high school seasons at Greenwood after one at Bowling Green. He has played in seven games without scoring. His father is former Western Kentucky head coach Rick Stansbury, who also previously coached Mississippi State and is now an assistant at Memphis.

Ex-Cats connections

Jalen Blackmon, Stetson: The son of former Kentucky star James Blackmon is a 6-3 junior guard who averages 21.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 34.7 minutes for the Hatters.

Jamal Mashburn Jr., New Mexico: The son of former Kentucky star Jamal Mashburn is a 6-2 senior guard who averages 1.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists for the Lobos.

Ahron Ulis, Nebraska: The brother of former Kentucky star Tyler Ulis is a 6-3 junior guard who averages 6.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Cornhuskers.

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