The 15Inc About Page

As a kid growing up in Georgia, I didn't really know where the love for Kentucky Basketball came from but I'm sure glad it's there. Just like most kids in Georgia we dream about playing football "between the hedges" for the Georgia Bulldogs and I was no different. Until around the 6th grade when our English teacher told us to write a journal entry with the title "If I could trade places with anyone who would it be?" I wrote that I would trade places with Larry Bird and play for the Boston Celtics in the NBA, but first I wanted to play for the University of Kentucky and go to a final four.

Throughout high school in Peachtree City, Georgia my focus became basketball and getting to a level to receive a college scholarship. I've always been a big dreamer and continue to dream big. Fortunately I was given the opportunity to play in front of some Kentucky scouts and eventually to receive a scholarship to the greatest basketball powerhouse of them all, Kentucky. As soon as I arrived on campus I realized there were some major adjustments I was going to have to make just to survive. After driving all day from Georgia, Coach Brown met me in the weight room for my first official workout. After eating lunch, I began my first workout with Coach Brown and 10 minutes later was throwing up my lunch.

I learned so much from my days at Kentucky and count it a true honor to wear the Blue and White across my chest for 5 years and represent my self, my teammates, my University, and the people of the State of Kentucky. My freshman year was tough and after many adjustments, I learned the effort I would need to put in on and off the court. My sophomore season was better and I began to get some playing time for Coach Pitino. Slowly but surely I learned how big Kentucky Basketball was in this state and how influential we could be on a lot of people, both positively and negatively. My junior year we won the national championship and for the first time since the 1978 Championship, the Kentucky Wildcats were back on top. After seeing the thousands of people line up at the airport and in to Rupp Arena, we began to believe that we have the best fans and support in the world. The next season I sat out and our team had a remarkable season making it back to the final game only to lose in overtime to Arizona.

My senior season was very special to me and I learned more and continue to learn from that year and the experiences I went through as an individual and the experiences we went through as a team. Coach Pitino left for Boston and we went through a leadership change. Our team had been to 2 consecutive final games. We had lost 2 NBA first round picks, but we had a lot of individual talent and even better individual attitudes that led to an awesome team attitude. The potential for a special season was definitely still around. The summer before my senior year I asked my wife to marry me. Stacey was there for me all the time. When we won or lost, when I was hurt, down, upset, or just feeling sorry for myself, she was always there to be honest with me. She always encourages me with her honesty. As the season went on and we began to really become a team, I began to realize we really had a chance to win the whole thing. We continued to advance through the tournament while continuing to pull closer and closer to one another. I believe that even more important than how well we played on the court, our ability to pull together on and off the court won us the national championship in 1998.

After my career at Kentucky, I played 1 year with the Atlanta Hawks and 3 years in Italy. The basketball was fun but just wasnít the same as when I played for the Wildcats.

God has been so good to us as a family. After playing several seasons in Italy it is great to be home in Kentucky with my family. My wife Stacey and I have one little girl, Madison. We hope that you enjoy 15Inc and can benefit from some or all the opportunities we offer.

Please feel free to email me at jeff@mpcpromotions.com

Jeff Sheppard

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