Following his team’s 96-56 drubbing at the hands of Kentucky on Wednesday afternoon, North Florida head coach Matthew Driscoll pinpointed what he sees as a key component to a successful rest of the season for these Wildcats.
Driscoll was an assistant coach at Baylor and Clemson for a combined 11 seasons. He’s been in the profession for 35 years and is in his 14th season as head coach of the Ospreys, who he said had just played their 91st “guaranteed money” game — where a lesser-regarded team travels to play a more highly touted opponent, and gets a check in return for the expected beating — during his tenure at the school.
After this particular money game, Driscoll wanted to talk about “the Reeves kid — number 12.”
That would be Antonio Reeves, who had just dropped 20 points on his Ospreys.
“I’ve seen a lot of good players. He’s as good a three-point shooter, and as good of a three-point finder as there is in the country,” Driscoll said. “If he doesn’t have a three, he’s gonna find a three with a stepback or a separation. A lot of guys, they get thrown off, and then they can’t get into a rhythm. And I think that’s what makes Reeves special.”
Driscoll went on to predict that Reeves’ ability to get open shots and then make them is going to be a key to the rest of the Wildcats’ season. He was certainly a difference-maker Wednesday.
Making his first start as a Kentucky player after transferring from Illinois State in the offseason and coming off the bench in the Cats’ first five games, Reeves made his first three-pointer of the day less than 90 seconds after the opening tip. He made three more threes — all in a flurry of 2 minutes and 7 seconds — to end the half. By the break, he had 18 points and had shot 4-for-5 from deep and 7-for-9 from the field. He was active on offense, not just in seeking out those long-range shots but in attacking the basket, as well. He didn’t score a bucket after halftime, but that really didn’t matter. The game was over before the two teams came out of the locker room for the second half, the Cats’ jumping out to a 54-23 lead by that point. Reeves closed the first half with a buzzer-beating three to set the margin for what was Kentucky’s biggest halftime advantage in eight years.
“It felt great, man,” he said. “Just out there feeling comfortable. Being me. And my teammates got me involved in the game.”
The way he’s capable of playing on the offensive end makes it easier for those around him.
Driscoll said he had noticed Reeves’ ability to get open when watching film of the Wildcats leading into Wednesday’s game. He was clearly impressed with the senior guard even before his team was terrorized by him in Rupp Arena.
The performance couldn’t have come at a better time for Reeves, who came into Wednesday’s pre-Thanksgiving matinee having gone 8-for-29 from the field over his previous three games. That included a 1-for-7 performance in Kentucky’s double-overtime loss to Michigan State eight days earlier and a 4-for-13 showing in another defeat to Gonzaga on Sunday night.
Reeves said he got back in the gym to start this week trying to put those games, especially the Gonzaga trip, in the past. His 22nd birthday was also Sunday, and — as he’s gotten older — his perspective has changed, allowing him to move on from nights like that and move toward better results.
“I believe it just comes with maturity,” he said. “Me coming into college as a freshman, sophomore year — it bothered me a little bit. But as you get older, you know you’re a basketball player, and you know you’re going to have games like that. So, just maturity and getting in the gym every day, and focusing on getting better for the team and getting better for yourself.”
As for his impressive ability as a three-point “finder,” that’s relatively new, too.
Like much in Reeves’ offensive arsenal, he said he didn’t really have that knack his first two seasons of college. Going into his junior year at Illinois State, he got in the gym and started working more and more on every aspect of his game. The results were immediate. He upped his three-point shooting from 30.9 percent over his first two seasons to 39.0 percent as a junior, even though he was getting more attention from opposing defenses as the Redbirds’ clear top scoring threat.
Reeves said being able to sniff out those open shots comes with getting into a rhythm, maintaining good footwork, knowing his own movements and being able to read defenders.
It’s a combination that should pay off big for the Cats as this season continues. After Wednesday’s game, Reeves is now 20-for-43 from three-point range. That’s 46.5 percent.
“The rim got bigger for me,” he said of his latest outing. “And I just kept shooting the ball. Shooters shoot. I definitely have that mentality going into every game.”
Next game
Bellarmine at No. 15 Kentucky
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Records: Bellarmine 2-4, Kentucky 4-2
Series: First meeting
