Kentucky freshman guard Reed Sheppard was selected by the Houston Rockets with the third pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.

Sheppard becomes the highest pick produced by Kentucky since the Wildcats sent De'Aaron Fox to the Sacramento Kings in 2017. He is also the highest-selective native Kentuckian to be drafted since Frank Ramsey was the No. 5 pic in 1953.

His lone season with the Cats amounted to a meteoric rise from Kentucky “Mr. Basketball” and four-star prospect out of North Laurel High School in London, Ky., to one of the elite players in the NCAA.

The son of 1998 Final Four MVP Jeff Sheppard is considered the best shooter in the draft by most scouts, but he also enjoyed year-long praise for his floor vision, passing, decision-making, and even a penchant for blocking shots and creating steals on the other end of the court.

Sheppard and fellow first-round pick Rob Dillingham came off the bench as freshmen but played plenty of minutes for a Kentucky team that won 23 games this season.

The 6-foot-2, 187-pound guard averaged 12.5 points for Kentucky as a freshman. He was extremely efficient, shooting 53.6% from the field, 52.1% from 3-point range, and 83.1% from the free-throw line. Sheppard also averaged 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.

Sheppard did have up-and-down-moments during his only season of college hoops. He only scored three points in UK's first-round loss to Oakland in the NCAA Tournament and only scored in double figures in six of UK's final 12 games, but his overall impact on the game often extended far beyond scoring.