Latest UK addition requires crediting Tyler Ulis with yet another assist
For Tyler Ulis, arguably the best point guard in John Calipari’s point guard-rich time as Kentucky’s head coach, the assists just keep on coming.
When Antonio Reeves, who announced a transfer from Illinois State to Kentucky this past week, was looking for a new school, Ulis indirectly influenced the decision. To be precise, the former UK star’s father helped sell Reeves on Kentucky. Tyler’s time as a UK standout was Exhibit A in the sales pitch.
It helped that the fathers — James Ulis and Tony Reeves, who goes by “Tone” — are fellow Chicagoans and longtime friends.
“Of course, I sold the Kentucky program …,” James Ulis said. “That’s our family there, and I told him that.”
The elder Reeves, who said his son goes by the nickname “Little Tone,” acknowledged how Ulis’s experience playing for UK helped his son’s decision-making. In 2015-16, Ulis set still-standing UK records for total assists (246) and average assists per game (7.03).
“It was definitely a lot of influence …,” Reeves’ father said of the conversations with Ulis’ father. “He was telling me how ‘Little Tone’ could develop and come and help us win a championship.
“Then, Kentucky would be able to help (‘Little Tone’) live out his dream of being a NBA player.”
The fathers are part of a group that the elder Reeves called “Chicago’s Basketball Dads.” Group texting is part of the camaraderie. So are son-versus-son competitions.
Both fathers recalled “Little Tone” making the game-winning layup for Simeon Career Academy High School (a Chicago powerhouse and alma mater of several NBA players, including Derrick Rose) against Marian Catholic. Tyler Ulis’ younger brother, Ahron Ulis, played for Marian. He now plays for Iowa.
“Ahron was so hurt after that loss,” said James Ulis, who added that he and Tone had a “little friendly wager” on that game.
The elder Reeves chuckled when he said of Ahron Ulis, “he’s still sick about that one.”
Kentucky’s recruiting effort was also helped by assistant coach Ron “Chin” Coleman’s Chicago roots. The player’s father said he and Coleman grew up in the same neighborhood.
“He coached Antonio a little bit in AAU,” the elder Reeves said of Coleman.
Coming out of high school, “Little Tone” drew relatively little recruiting interest.
“He was like a young puppy,” the father said. “A real slim kid with a small frame.”
Diligent workouts helped Reeves fill out some. Illinois State listed his size at 6-foot-6 and 185 pounds. The father said his son is now working out three times a day in preparation for a June arrival on the UK campus.
The elder Reeves described his son as skilled, “definitely a 100-percent team player” and blessed with “a very smart IQ.”
“He’s a bucket-getter,” the father said. “You need a bucket, he’s going to get you one.”
Last season for Illinois State, Reeves averaged 20.1 points and shot with 39-percent accuracy from three-point range, 46.9 percent overall and 81.8 percent from the free-throw line.
In addition to Kentucky, he considered Oregon, Nebraska, DePaul and Xavier as transfer destinations.
The news of Oscar Tshiebwe and Sahvir Wheeler playing again for Kentucky next season helped make Kentucky the choice.
“We know they can get to the Final Four and he was, like, dad, I know I can help them and they can help me, and we can get there,” the elder Reeves recalled his son saying. “He didn’t say we think (Kentucky can win the 2023 national championship). He said we are.”
NBA fathers bond
“Tone” Reeves and James Ulis are not the only fathers who bonded while watching sons compete.
Tuesday’s edition of The New York Times included a story about how Karl Towns and Tee Morant were sitting side by side as their sons — former UK standout Karl-Anthony Towns and former Murray State standout Ja Morant — competed in the Minnesota-Memphis NBA playoff series.
“Win or lose, we’re family,” the elder Towns told The Times. “That’s never going to change. This is my family right here. It’s just not about basketball. It’s about a family loving each other. We just have a good relationship. What people see is we’re just being genuine. We’re just being ourselves. And, you know what, we’re proud of our kids. But we also enjoy our relationship.”
The fathers met during Ja’s rookie season. They became part of an NBA fathers group.
“I’ve got genuine love for him because he takes time out of his day to think about me,” Tee said. “That’s the type of relationship we’ve built, as far as knowing that he got love for me, I got love for him. I got love for big KAT.”
And Karl added, “I got love for Ja.”
A challenging time strengthened the fathers’ friendship.
After learning that Jackie Cruz-Towns (Karl’s wife and Karl-Anthony’s mother) died of the coronavirus in April 2020, Tee called Karl to offer support and say he was praying for the family.
Odds favor Oscar
In its odds for winning the 2023 NCAA Tournament updated Monday, the website BetOnline.ag moved Kentucky from second choice (with Duke and Gonzaga) at 11-1 to an 8-1 favorite.
Adam Burns, BetOnLine’s SportsBook manager, cited Oscar Tshiebwe’s announcement that he will play for the Wildcats next season as a key factor in assigning the shortest odds on a Kentucky championship.
“We saw an instant influx of bets,” he said of the reaction to Tshiebwe’s announcement, “and made them the favorite.”
Preview review
In its initial April 5 odds, BetOnline.ag made Arkansas a 10-1 favorite to win the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
No initial favorite named by BetOnline.ag has gone on to win the next NCAA Tournament from 2012 to this year.
The closest were Louisville in 2013 and Duke in 2015. Both had the second-best initial odds.
Kentucky was the website’s initial favorite for NCAA tournaments in 2020, 2018, 2015 and 2014. The pandemic canceled the 2020 tournament. Villanova, which had the third-best initial odds, won in 2018. Duke won in 2015 and UConn (tied for the 11th-best initial odds at 33-1) won in 2014.
In the updated odds for 2023, Arkansas was a second choice at 10-1 with North Carolina.
‘A nightmare’
More than 1,500-plus players in the transfer portal and late decisions about entering into or withdrawing from the NBA Draft being made left rosters unsettled. A seemingly fair question comes to mind: How can such early odds of winning the next year’s NCAA Tournament be made?
“The transfer portal is a nightmare …,” Adam Burns said in an email. “We do our best to stay on top of it and adjust accordingly. … Very volatile. It is always hard to set odds with no set rosters and have not played a game yet.”
Traveling man
Kentuckian Justin Powell is looking for a new school … again.
Powell entered the NCAA transfer portal Thursday. He played for Tennessee this past season after beginning his college career at Auburn in 2020-21. After averaging 27.6 minutes and 11.7 points for Auburn, Powell averaged only 14.1 minutes and 3.7 points for Tennessee. Zakai Zeigler’s emergence as a freshman (22.1 minutes, 8.8 points) was a factor in Powell’s limited impact at Tennessee.
Prior to college, Powell played two seasons for Trinity High School, then transferred to Montverde Academy before returning to Kentucky to play for North Oldham High School.
Powell became the fifth Tennessee player to enter this year’s transfer portal.
Happy birthday
To LeRon Ellis. He turned 53 on Thursday. … To Rhyne Howard. She turned 22 on Friday. … To Chris Harrison. He turned 49 on Saturday. … To ESPN/SEC Network analyst Jimmy Dykes. He turns 61 on Tuesday. … To South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley. She turns 52 on Wednesday. … To Anthony Epps. He turns 47 on Wednesday. … To DJ Wagner. The consensus No. 1 player in the class of 2023 and a major recruiting target for Kentucky and Louisville turns 17 on Wednesday.
