Bill "Billy" L. Shepherd, Jr. (born November 18, 1949 in Bedford, Indiana

Bedford, Indiana

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,768 people, 6,054 households, and 3,644 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,157.1 people per square mile . There were 6,618 housing units at an average density of 556.2 per square mile...

) is a former American basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player.

A 5 inch guard, Shepherd played at Carmel High School

Carmel High School (Carmel, Indiana)

Carmel High School is a public high school in Carmel, Indiana whose name is commonly abbreviated to CHS. It is part of the Carmel Clay School District and has an enrollment of around 4,600 students, making it the largest high school in the state of Indiana by number of students.- History :Carmel...

 in Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

, 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

Indiana Mr. Basketball award

The Indiana Mr. Basketball honor recognizes the top high school basketball player in the state of Indiana. The award is presented annually by The Indianapolis Star. The first Indiana Mr...

 in 1968. He then played at Butler University

Butler University

Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...

, 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

American Basketball Association

The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...

 as a member of the Virginia Squires

Virginia Squires

The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...

, San Diego Conquistadors

San Diego Conquistadors

The San Diego Conquistadors, nicknamed the "Q's", were an American Basketball Association team based in San Diego, California. They were the only expansion team in the history of the ABA. The team played from 1972 to 1975. They were replaced in the ABA by the San Diego Sails.-San Diego...

, and Memphis Sounds

Memphis Sounds

Memphis Sounds was the final name of a franchise in the American Basketball Association. The team had begun as the New Orleans Buccaneers, and after three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where it had occasionally played some home games in the past to reasonable crowds...

. 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 for Marty Blake

Marty Blake

Marty Blake is the Director of Scouting Services for the National Basketball Association and founder of Marty Blake and Associates, a basketball scouting firm. He previously served as general manager of the Atlanta Hawks franchise.-Early career:...

. Shepherd was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame

The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame is a sports museum and hall of fame in New Castle, Indiana. It honors men and women associated with high school, college and professional basketball in Indiana....

in 1997.