Ty’Sean Sheppard wasn’t heavily recruited out of Clay High School in South Bend. Ancilla College was one of his few offers. What a difference two years can make.
The 6-3 sophomore was named a National Junior College Athletic Association Division II 1st Team All-American this week. This comes after earning all-tournament honors at this year’s national tournament where the Chargers finished 8th with a 2-2 mark. That accomplishment marked the first time an Indiana team had played in the Division II tournament.
He was the MCCAA Player of the Year in the Western Conference and he was all-Region 12.
Sheppard is being actively recruited by over 10 colleges and universities, with more than 20 having shown interest over the year. His stock has risen dramatically as others coaches begin to see what the Ancilla staff saw two years.
He is not super-fast, he is sneaky fast. He can shoot the three or get by his defender and score inside. He has an excellent pull up jumper and he plays defense as well as anyone. He rebounds, and rebounds and rebounds.
Sheppard finished this year averaging a double-double with 21.2 points per game and 12.2 rebounds.
“Ty’Sean is a joy to coach,” said head coach Brian Pearison. “He is not the best player out on the court, he just outworks everyone. He is so versatile. He plays tremendous defense, he rebounds against much taller opponents and he scores or helps his teammates score.”
Sheppard has helped Ancilla go 53-14 in his two years here, including a 29-3 mark in 2017-18 where the team was ranked No. 1 in the country for a couple of weeks.