THE SQUAD
Senior guard Jeff Sheppard returns after redshirting the 1996-97 season.
hen Kentucky won the national championship in 1996, the squad was labeled as one of the deepest teams in America. Hi > player in nn that team averaged
more than 27 minutes per game, and 10 players averaged at least nine minutes per contest. But now, only five players remain from that roster, two of who saw action in the final game against Syracuse. And with the early departures of sophomores Mercer and Antoine Walker, the Cats are thin in the ranks.
Bolstering UK's confidence is the return of Sheppard. The fifth-year senior was redshirted by Pitino last season in order to free up playing time for Derek Anderson while allowing Sheppard to work on his game in hopes of improving his chances for the NBA.
Sheppard has played in 96 games at Kentucky with 28 starts. He combines athleticism with a good knowledge of the game. During his cateer, he's shot 48.3 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from beyond the three-point are. In 1995-96, he averaged just 12.8 minutes per game, hardly enough to work up a sweat, yet he canned 52.0 percent of his field goals and 50.0 percent of his three-pointers while averaging 5.5 points per game.
"Jeff is hungry," Smith said. "He's worked extremely hard during the pteseason and he's as athletic a guard as Rex Chapman. I'm expecting him to have a great season."
While Sheppard had 27 starts under his belt at point guard during his sophomore season, he's the favorite to start at the shooting guard position this year. However, he will have to log time at point guard as well, backing up Wayne Turner.
The 6-2 Turner is reason No. 1 that UK advanced to the national championship game last March. His insertion into the starting lineup during postseason play improved the Wildcats' offensive production. He's as explosive to the basket as any player in college basketball and he will be one of the Cats' top defenders after finishing fourth in the SEC in steals (2.0 spg), despite averaging just 22.7 minutes per game.
"He has the ability to break people down off the dribble and set people up for upon dint- as well as yet to the rim and score himself," Smith said. "It's going to be critical to keep him healthy and keep him in the ballgame as much as possible."
Consider this: Turner averaged just 4.5 points and 2.2 assists per game during SEC regular-season play. But after his insertion into the starting lineup, in which he averaged 12.4 minutes more per game, the Boston native finished second on the team in scoring during the NCAA Tournament (12.7 ppg) and second in assists (4.5 apg), while pulling down 3.0 rebounds per contest.
His pairing with Sheppard in the backcourt could comprise one of the strongest starting guard combinations in the nation.

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E WANT TO BE THE BEST team possible and just take it one day at a time, one game at a time."