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Antonio Reeves has pulled his name out of the NBA Draft but it is far from a done deal that he will be at Kentucky next season.
Reeves averaged 14.4 points per game last season at UK after transferring from Illinois State and shot almost 40 percent from 3-point range. The last six weeks of the season he was Kentucky’s most reliable scoring threat. He led the team with 80 3-pointers.
Reeves could return to Kentucky or he could transfer to another school if he finishes his degree requirements this summer since there is no transfer portal timetable for a grad transfer.
Even though he was UK’s second leading scorer behind Oscar Tshiebwe last season and the only player other than Chris Livingston to play in all 34 games, it’s obvious Reeves is concerned about playing time.
He was UK’s sixth man the first half of the season and with the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class arriving on campus now, Reeves might be concerned with the minutes he’ll get considering incoming guards DJ Wagner and Rob Dillingham figure to play at least 30 minutes per game — if not more — based on coach John Calipari’s history with star freshmen.
Incoming freshmen Justin Edwards is also a wing player who likely could play even more than Dillingham/Wagner do and 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw will likely be another 30 minute or more player per game. Throw in minutes that sophomore center Uno Onyenso should get — or another player if Calipari manages to find a transfer center willing to come to UK — it’s easy to see Reeves could fear he might get less playing time next year despite what he did during the 2022-23 season.
Then there is NIL. Reports were Reeves made “six figures” at UK last season but sources have indicated thinking he made $100,000 or more might be a bit inflated. Kentucky coach John Calipari has been adamant about not wanting to guarantee NIL money but other schools reaching out about Reeves don’t have that restriction.
So why doesn’t Reeves just want to return to UK and hopefully be part of a national championship team and not worry about the money? Easy. He’s already 22 years old and if he can get a nice payday for another year of college basketball, why not do it. And as UK fans have learned, a highly ranked recruiting class or team does not always lead to a national title — or even a Sweet 16 berth.
There’s no set timeline for Reeves to finalize what he’s going to do unless Calipari demands an answer from him about his future by a specified date. But today it seems like Reeves has a lot of leverage knowing UK currently has only seven scholarship players and desperately could use a proven 3-point shotmaker for next season.
9 Responses
Kentucky state law states “A person or entity shall not give or promise compensation for the use of the name, image, or likeness of a current or prospective student-athlete to recruit or induce the athlete to enroll at any Kentucky institution.”
So it appears Calipari cannot guarantee NIL without running afoul of state law.
But the collective can guarantee and remember Reeves is already at Kentucky too
Players doing whatever they can to get away from Cat Falbert!!!
I would say they want to get away from "so-called" fans that are putting them and their coach down everyday. One should expect more from what is supposed to be "the best fanbase in college basketball".
I guess that’s the reason they don’t keep fatso in the loop now. Because the fans lol!
Fatso finds out whether they’re staying or going when the fans do. So I think fatso is the problem.
I totally agree
Isn’t a collective a entity. It states "no current or prospective student-athlete".
We are witnessing the demise of the once great UK basketball program at the hands of a fraud. He has never placed the interests of the program as his priority, and he mocks and ridicules the fans who do.
I am 75 years old. I have spent a lifetime following UK basketball, gonig back to the days of the late great Cotton Nash. I saw this demise starting years ago as Calipari’s snake oil sales pitch became tiresome, and I have watched the program lose its glory, its path, its purpose.
Coach’s Rupp, Hall, and Pitino would have NEVER allowed one of their great teams lose to Wisconsin in the final four as this clown did in 2015.
6 weeks until games begin, and there are not enough players to practice, much less play real games. I think the next move will be an open invitation to the student body to try out for the empty spots.
Yet, Barnhart is out there this week defending the indefensible. But, I guess his plate is overloaded right now trying to figure out how to house and feed 3 visiting baseball teams. How could he even be aware of the demise of men’s basketball, the program that was once UK’s flagship.
Now UK men’s basketball is a joke.
The key words in the statute in my opinion are "… to recruit or induce the athlete to enroll at any Kentucky institution.”
Reeves is already enrolled at the university of kentucky.
The real issue is not what Reeves does or does not do this summer, the real issue is why players like Reeves and the others are looking for ways to flee this program like rats from a sinking ship.