Bill L. Shepherd Jr. (born November 18, 1949) is an American former

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. A guard born in

Bedford, Indiana Bedford is a city in Shawswick Township and the county seat of Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 13,792. That is up from 13,413 in 2010. Bedford is the principal city of the Bedford, IN Micropo ...

, Shepherd played at Carmel High School, where he was coached by his father, Bill Shepherd Sr. He scored 2,465 points in four years and was selected as Indiana's Mr. Basketball in 1968.Billy Shepherd
Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved on July 20, 2009. He then played at

Butler University Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study within six colleges in the arts, business, communic ...

, also his father's alma mater, from 1969 to 1972, and set school records for highest career scoring average (24.1 points per game) and highest scoring average in a season (27.8 points per game). From 1972 to 1975, Shepherd played in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

as a member of the

Virginia Squires The Virginia Squires were a basketball team based in Norfolk, Virginia, and playing in several other Virginia cities. They were members of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976. The team originated in 1967 as the Oakland Oaks, a ...

San Diego Conquistadors The San Diego Conquistadors (known as the San Diego Sails in their final, partial season) were a professional basketball team based in San Diego, California, that competed in the American Basketball Association (ABA). The "Q's", as they were popul ...

, and

Memphis Sounds The Memphis Sounds were an American professional sports franchise that played in Memphis, Tennessee from 1970 until 1975 as a member of the American Basketball Association. The team was first founded as the New Orleans Buccaneers in 1967. Known d ...

. He averaged 5.7 points per game in his professional career, and led the ABA in three-point field goal percentage (.420) during the 1974–75 season. Afterward, he worked as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

for

Marty Blake Marty Blake (March 22, 1927 – April 7, 2013) was a general manager of the Atlanta Hawks franchise, and the NBA's longtime Director of Scouting. He was a recipient of the Basketball Hall of Fame's John Bunn Award. Life Born in Paterson, New ...

.Jeff Rabjohns.
Eric Gordon is a big shot. But how does this player compare with Indiana's shooting legends?
. IndyStar.com. April 8, 2007. Retrieved on July 20, 2009. Shepherd was inducted into the

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame is a sports museum and hall of fame in New Castle, Indiana. While it honors men and women associated with high school, college, and professional basketball in Indiana, an emphasis is placed on the athlete's high ...

in 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherd, Billy 1949 births Living people American men's basketball players Butler Bulldogs men's basketball players Memphis Sounds players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Sportspeople from Carmel, Indiana Basketball players from Hamilton County, Indiana Point guards San Diego Conquistadors players Virginia Squires players