Reaves on The Rise

When the Oklahoma basketball team travels to Wichita State to face the Shockers on Saturday, junior guard Austin Reaves will return to the town from whence he came.

"You've got to look at it as just another game," Reaves said calmly, knowing full-well it will be anything but.

The WSU athletic website said of Reaves' freshman season (2016-17): "Fan favorite who quickly won over the coaching staff with his work ethic, skills and basketball savvy."

In 66 career games (11 starts) with the Shockers, Reaves averaged 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists as a combo guard. During league play in 2017-18, he led the American Athletic Conference in 3-point percentage (.451) and set a school record with seven first-half 3-pointers in a victory over Tulsa.

But after two seasons, Reaves headed south on Interstate 35.

On March 12, 2018, the Wichita State student newspaper, The Sunflower, ran a column entitled "Bench Austin Reaves," which callously depicted his struggles late in an AAC tournament semifinal loss to Houston.

"The first thing I needed to get better at was getting stronger in the weight room. Then there was becoming more of an overall player instead of just a catch-and-shoot shooter, making plays off the bounce, making plays for others."
- Austin Reaves

Though WSU fans vehemently came to his defense, Reaves decided to transfer five weeks later and never fully explained his decision.

"I heard about that (article), but honestly that has nothing to do with why I'm transferring," Reaves told the Wichita Eagle at the time. "A guy saw an opportunity to get a story out and that's his job and he chooses what he writes about. At the end of the day, that's his job. It wasn't something I really loved to read, but I respect that's his job."

With a return trip to Wichita on the horizon, Reaves is still taking the high road.

"I think it was 100-percent the right decision and I'm 100-percent happy with where I'm at," Reaves said. "If it wasn't for them (Wichita State), I wouldn't be here right now. I can't think of any bad way about it. I had two good years there and met a lot of good people. I'm still in contact with some."

Asked what he can possibly do to calm Reaves' nerves about returning to Wichita, OU head coach Lon Kruger said, "All you can do is talk to him, tell him to avoid that silly early foul, or that foul that's going to get you on the bench in the first half. Tell him, 'Just be smart and do what you do every day.' "

After a brief pause, Kruger chuckled and added, "Of course, that's easier said than done, you know."

The Sooners (7-1) and Shockers (8-1), who both received votes in this week's Coaches Poll, will meet at 5 p.m. on Saturday at INTRUST Bank Arena, marking the fourth straight year they play in a downtown (off-campus) arena.

With Reaves looking on from the OU bench as a redshirt last season, the Sooners dominated with an 80-48 romp over WSU at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. Two years ago in Wichita, OU posted a 91-83 upset over the No. 3-ranked Shockers and Reaves, giving the Sooners their first-ever road win against a Top-3 non-conference opponent in program history and their first victory against any Top-3 team since 1949. As a true freshman three years ago, Reaves came off the bench for WSU, which edged the Sooners 76-73 in OKC.

As a transfer, Reaves was required to sit out last season and instead excelled as the scout team point guard at practice.

"He's expanded his game quite a bit," Kruger said of Reaves. "He did a good job of attacking off the dribble. I think he really took advantage of that redshirt (season)."

In what areas did Reaves' game expand?

"The first thing I needed to get better at was getting stronger in the weight room," Reaves said. "Then there was becoming more of an overall player instead of just a catch-and-shoot shooter, making plays off the bounce, making plays for others."

Lead, Reaves vs William & Mary

Reaves currently ranks second among Big 12 Conference players with a 17.6 scoring average and has scored in double figures in all eight games. Teammates Kristian Doolittle (16.0) and Brady Manek (14.0) rank sixth and 12th in league scoring.

"We've got a bunch of guys on this team who are really talented," said Reaves, who also is averaging 5.5 rebounds. "It feels good to be out there with a bunch of friends. I think we're real comfortable with anyone taking the shot, with anyone having the ball in their hand."

Although Reaves averaged 32.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists as a high school senior, he wasn't on OU's recruiting radar.

"In high school, honestly, I didn't ever think I would play at this level," Reaves admitted. "I was from a small town, wasn't getting a lot of recognition, so I really didn't think much about it."

Opting to play away from home, Reaves chose WSU over offers from South Dakota State, Montana State, Utah State and nearby Arkansas State.

Reaves' parents cast a big shadow at ASU in Jonesboro, which is located 45 minutes from their current home in Newark (new-ARK). Arkansas State was where his mother (Nicole) was an all-conference forward and averaged 20-plus points her senior season. His father (Brian) played point guard and is tied for third on the school's career assists list (384).

"I learned a lot from each," Reaves said of his parents. "They really taught me the game, as well as my brother (Spencer). He's probably the most influential with me toward basketball than anyone."

The left-handed Spencer, who is two years older than Austin, played Division II ball at North Greenville (S.C.) University, then transferred and excelled for three seasons at Central Missouri. He currently plays professionally in Spain.

It was Spencer who sparked Austin's interest in basketball.

"I remember him dragging me to the gym when I was in seventh grade," Austin recalled. "I didn't really have that much interest in basketball at the time. He saw something in me, would drive me to the gym every day and make me work, play one-on-one. He's a really good player. It took me until my junior year in high school before I actually won a couple of times."

When Reaves chose to transfer from Wichita State in April of 2018, he considered Indiana, Michigan, Purdue and Northern Iowa along with OU.

"My brother and dad came on a visit and it really just felt like home with all the guys here," Reaves said. "It just felt like a really good place to be. And Coach Kruger, he's the best. You can't ask for better."