‘He’s just a bucket.’ Antonio Reeves showing scoring punch before first season at UK.
The compliments cascaded out of Sahvir Wheeler’s mouth, to the point you wondered if they would ever stop.
The question was simple: What were your first impressions of Antonio Reeves, the sweet-shooting senior transfer from Illinois State who has been the offseason star for the Kentucky men’s basketball team?
Wheeler took the inquiry and ran with it.
“You all had all the same first impressions I did,” Wheeler told a small group of reporters during Tuesday’s Kentucky men’s basketball media day.
“He can really make shots. He can score. He can play on the ball, off the ball. He’s unselfish. He can score in a multitude and a variety of ways. He’s got a thousand ways to put it in the basket. He’s super laid back and pretty chill off the court. I love being around him.”
That kind of praise could be found up and down the UK hierarchy Tuesday, as plenty of Wildcats gave plaudits to the newest sharpshooter in Lexington.
Reeves’ new teammates and fans alike have been able to watch his scoring prowess continue as the sample size has expanded.
During UK’s four-game international exhibition tour in August, Reeves averaged 17 points per game and shot a blistering 51.9% on three-pointers.
He was named the MVP of both that trip and of Saturday’s Blue-White Game in Pikeville, after pouring in a game-high 27 points.
His presence in Lexington provides Kentucky with plenty of shooting potential that’s evolved from his upbringing in Chicago and a mid-major college stop in central Illinois, to now being on display in the Bahamas, Pikeville and soon, plenty of SEC cities.
“I can be able to be ready to shoot whenever,” Reeves said of his role on this season’s UK team. “I have teammates that will look for me throughout the court, being able to just be in position to shoot and just being ready.”
How Reeves went from mid-major to blue blood power
The reason why Reeves finds himself at Kentucky is basic: He’s a good basketball player.
Three seasons at Illinois State of the Missouri Valley Conference saw Reeves rise to become a team captain and an MVC Second Team selection last season.
He appeared in 89 games for the Redbirds over the last three seasons, and posted eye-popping per-game averages of 20.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 33 games last season.
Reeves was the first Illinois State player to average at least 20 points per game since 2001, and the 662 total points he scored last season ranked fourth in a single season in Redbirds history.
This included a 39% success rate on three-pointers last season, with Reeves’ languid shooting motion often putting the ball through the net.
“Ever since I was little, I’ve always been outside working on my form and just being in games and scrimmages, just actually knowing how to play the game and knowing the right shots to take,” Reeves said. “Overall, (I) just love being in the gym and love the game.”
But Reeves has had to adjust to a new environment.
At Illinois State last season, Reeves led the Redbirds in most major offensive statistical categories: Minutes played, shots made and taken, free throws made and taken and points scored.
That kind of high-volume offensive workload won’t occur this season at Kentucky, not on a team that returns Oscar Tshiebwe, welcomes impressive freshmen and has several upperclassmen such as CJ Fredrick and Jacob Toppin that are poised to break out.
But there are still lessons Reeves can apply from last season to this season.
“I never had that opportunity to lead the team before, and at Illinois State, just having that team look to me, look for shots, look for me on the floor, it just all came together,” Reeves said.
Reeves’ basketball journey began in Chicago, and he said he tries to play with the grittiness that epitomizes so many basketball players from that city.
An alumnus of Simeon — which has produced college basketball stars Derrick Rose (who played for John Calipari at Memphis) and Jabari Parker, among others — Reeves began playing basketball when he was about 5 years old.
“I wasn’t really into basketball until then, but then I started killing it all of a sudden,” Reeves said. “I started really passing through the kids and things, getting easy layups. After that I just took off.”
From those beginnings, Reeves has evolved into an experienced college player with a pro mindset: Summer workout sessions in Miami have allowed Reeves to observe NBA players (including ex-Cat Tyler Herro) and their work ethic up close.
But going from a mid-major school that never sniffed the NCAA Tournament during his time there (Illinois State averaged a 203rd national Kenpom ranking from 2020 to 2022) to a perennial national championship contender still represents a sizable leap in the stage Reeves now plays on.
“It’s crazy that this school wanted me. I wasn’t expecting it,” said Reeves, who was principally recruited to Kentucky by UK assistant coach Chin Coleman, another Chicago native. “Being around a lot of good players (at Kentucky), it really helped me change my mentality into getting into the gym, being even stronger, physicality, it just helped me. It made me work on my body more, stuff like recovery, things like that, that I really didn’t have at Illinois State.”
Three-level scoring ability
The reason UK head coach John Calipari coveted Reeves for Kentucky was straightforward.
“We brought him in to make baskets . . . and he can make baskets,” Calipari said Tuesday. “He used to mess with the ball and now it’s downhill running. It’s driving through catches and getting in the lane. He bodies instead of trying to avoid everything and flip and throw.”
Kentucky possesses the kind of interior size and scoring ability that most teams dream of.
But having players that can take a game over on the perimeter, which is the kind of potential offered by the likes of Reeves and Fredrick (a career 46.6% three-point shooter in two seasons at Iowa), gives the Cats further offensive versatility.
“(Antonio) and CJ, when they’re on the court, it’s kind of like a 4-on-4 because their man is hugging them because they don’t want them to get an open shot or get the ball,” said junior forward Lance Ware. “It just makes the game easier for our teammates and everybody else that’s on the court.”
“It allows you to look for your teammates even more, because you know you can get them a shot anytime, but also it warrants you to be more aggressive,” added freshman forward Chris Livingston. “Knowing that the court is more open and there’s a lot more space for you to attack and for me to get to work.”
In similar fashion to Wheeler, Livingston gushed about Reeves when he was asked about his first impression of the Chicago native, which was formed during summer workouts and shooting competitions.
“He’s just a scorer. He’s just a bucket. He can score at all three levels easily. He’s got the floater, the mid-range and he can shoot threes,” Livingston explained. “He’s also athletic and can finish above the rim.”
Extended conversation with Reeves, his teammates and head coach paints the picture of a player with a quiet demeanor, but one who knows how to communicate on the court and effectively create the shots he wants.
With one of his final remarks during Tuesday’s media day, Calipari was careful to distinguish between having shooters and having shot makers.
He referenced last season’s UK team, which he described as having “pretty good shooters.”
Then, he expressed the desire for this year’s team to not just have good shooters, but good shot makers.
Enter Reeves.
“When (Reeves) did that stuff out in the Bahamas or in the Blue-White Game, that wasn’t surprising,” Wheeler said. “That’s him and we encourage that.”
Next game
Missouri Western State at No. 4 Kentucky
What: Preseason exhibition game
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Rupp Arena
TV: SEC Network
