Antonio Reeves, who originally entered NBA draft, returns to Kentucky basketball: Report
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky guard Antonio Reeves reportedly will be back with the program for one more season.
247Sports' Travis Branham reported Wednesday that Reeves, who joined the Wildcats as a transfer prior to the last season, will be part of UK's roster in 2023-24.
It ends a winding saga for the rising fifth-year senior since last season ended. He initially declared for the NBA draft on April 4 but removed his name from the draft May 31. In the weeks since, UK and others waited to see where Reeves would spend his fifth and final season as a collegian.
The Wildcats hadn't banked on him returning. Following the team's season-ending loss to Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA tournament, Kentucky coach John Calipari said he didn't believe any UK senior would be back in Lexington to take advantage of the extra season of eligibility.
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That's mostly been true. Guards Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick will play a fifth college season, but they won't be at Kentucky; Wheeler is transferring to Washington while Fredrick is headed to Cincinnati. Other members of Kentucky's six-man senior class last season include forwards Oscar Tshiebwe and Jacob Toppin, both of whom remained in this year's NBA draft.
Former walk-on Brennan Canada, who was placed on scholarship in January, took advantage of the NCAA's eligibility waiver to return to UK in 2023-24.
While Wheeler and Cason Wallace (who is entering the draft and is expected to be a first-round pick Thursday) are gone, the Wildcats now have two guards who played last season returning in 2023-24: Reeves and Adou Thiero, a rising sophomore who saw limited minutes, is the other returnee. The Wildcats will lean on their top-ranked 2023 recruiting class to reload in the backcourt. Four of UK's seven signees — Robert Dillingham, Joey Hart, Reed Sheppard and DJ Wagner — are guards.
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Reeves arrived in Lexington with a reputation as a scorer after averaging 20.1 points per game at Illinois State in 2021-22, becoming the school's first player to average more than 20 points an outing since 2001.
Though it took him time to find his footing in the SEC, Reeves improved as the season went along. He scored 20 or more points five times in the final 10 games of the season, highlighted by a 37-point outburst — tied for the third most by a UK player, and the most in a true road game, since Calipari's first season in 2009-10 — in the regular-season finale at Arkansas.
Reeves knocked down a team-high 80 3-pointers last season, tied for 12th (along with Keith Bogans in 2002-03) in a single campaign in program history.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: NBA draft 2023: Kentucky senior Antonio Reeves returning, per report
