Loyalty is a heck of a thing. Are former Kentucky players who spent time at Kentucky during Calipari’s tenure more committed to the school or the man? Understandably, Saturday night’s game probably elicited some mixed emotions from them all, and everyone’s different, but Big Blue Nation felt the knife turn after a few guys chimed in with support for their former coach.
None hurt more than Reed Sheppard.
In what was a 20-year-old’s attempt to be neutral, Sheppard wore an Arkansas shirt atop Kentucky shorts into the arena for the Rockets game Saturday night. Yes. Reed Sheppard. The guy who was seemingly built in a lab to be a Kentucky basketball player wore a Razorbacks shirt on the night his former team played them. Do they not make shirts with just Calipari’s head on them?
Reed double-downed on his decision after the game when explaining his outfit:
“A lot of people are not happy, but you know, that’s my coach. I played for Cal. I’ve got the Kentucky shorts. I’m a Kentucky boy. I’m rooting for Kentucky but Coach Cal’s my coach so I’m also pulling for Coach Cal. I kinda thought [wearing an Arkansas shirt with Kentucky shorts] would be funny. Three of my teammates played for Arkansas too, so I talk to them every week…I talk to the coaches too. I still watch Kentucky too so I’m wearing them both.”
Reed Sheppard
By splitting the baby, Reed split several Kentucky fans’ hearts. One might forgive a player from California or New York for not fully embracing the majesty of Kentucky basketball during their nine months wearing blue and white but Reed Sheppard? The same guy whose parents both played at Kentucky and grew up with Wildcat posters in his room?
Et tu, Brute?
Calipari is a dynamic personality and it is understandable the guy who leads you into battle day in and day out throughout your college basketball gauntlet is going to trigger some loyalty to which regular fans likely can’t relate. But Reed Sheppard gifting Arkansas social media trolls a feast that will be used for eternity was an untimely gut punch.
Tyty Washington, Jacob Toppin, and Davion Mintz give Cal a shoutout after the game
Former University of Kentucky Calipari player, Tyty Washington, made the biggest waves on X Saturday when he sent not-so-cryptic posts: “Cal understands it now,” and “Walked into the trap and took over the trap.”
Big Blue Nation was gobsmacked, flooding his comments with messages of shock and disapproval. Washington’s former teammate, Jacob Toppin, soon reposted Washington’s remarks with an expletive stamp of support and approval.
Davion Mintz also gave his former coach a shoutout, although with a much less incendiary tone. He simply wrote, “nice win coach,” but as you might guess, the frustration in the immediate aftermath of an emotional loss did not lend itself to a sense of understanding from commenters. In response to a flood of engagement barbs, Mintz followed up with, “we can’t have sportsmanship now?”
Uh, have you met Big Blue Nation, Davion? Of course, we can’t. Not in this game. Not less than an hour after the final buzzer sounds. Give us a day or two, anyway. Geez.
The three players all reposted each others’ comments, showing solidarity with their congratulations for Calipari. Washington ended the night with an olive branch to Kentucky fans, saying, “man, yall funny as hell. all love over here.”
Kentucky fans can be equally forgiving and stubborn when it comes to this kind of thing, but these comments surely didn’t help the stereotype that too many of Calipari’s former players who spent time in Lexington cared more about getting to the NBA than wearing the Kentucky jersey.
It’s safe to say that Sheppard, Washington, Toppin, and Mintz lost some social media followers, and more importantly, some respect on Saturday night.