Antonio Reeves, Tre Mitchell showcase value of having multiple veterans

A few weeks ago, Kentucky men’s basketball featured a roster made up almost entirely of freshmen and sophomores. Granted, five of those first-year players came out of high school as highly-regarded, top-notch recruits, and the two sophomores are filled to the brim with potential, but there was a glaring hole when it came to experience.

In the new age of college basketball, teams need veterans to win at the highest level. For a while, Kentucky didn’t have any. But then Antonio Reeves elected to return for a second season in Lexington while Tre Mitchell found his way to UK through the transfer portal — all happening within less than a week of each other. Head coach John Calipari went from having one of the youngest rosters in the country (a common theme during his early tenure at Kentucky) to adding a pair of 22-year-olds entering their fifth season of college basketball.

If it wasn’t for those two, Kentucky’s offseason of exhibition games against international competition would likely look a lot different. Need an example? The first game of the 2023 GLOBL Jam Tournament in Toronto, Canada should help convince you.

Reeves and Mitchell combined for 44 points in Kentucky’s 81-73 win over Team Germany in the Wildcats’ opening game of the event. That’s over 54 percent of the team’s total scoring. Reeves led the way with 24 points on 8-16 shooting (3-7 3PT) and four rebounds while Mitchell added 20 points on 7-13 shooting (4-6 3PT) to go along with six rebounds and three assists. Freshman guard DJ Wagner (16 points) was the only other Wildcat to finish in double-figures.

.@tre_mitch33 looking good in 🔵 & ⚪️

20 PTS, 6 REB, 4 3PT pic.twitter.com/KLsuXPhkD0

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) July 12, 2023

As the 2023-24 season gets rolling in the fall, Kentucky could very well be a team engineered by the many five-star freshmen roaming the roster. But for an event such as the GLOBL Jam — where the competition features 23-year-olds with half a decade of professional basketball under their belts — and even into the early stages of the regular-season schedule, it’s much easier to let the veterans do what they’ve been doing for years.

This way, the freshmen can take a step back. They can do more learning instead of forcing. Reeves and Mitchell set the tone while everyone else follows in their paths and develops their own individual confidence. That was the case against Team Germany and it turned out quite well for the ‘Cats.

“There’s a lot of young guys and I’ve seen it all,” Mitchell said postgame. “I’ve seen a lot of basketball, a lot of crowds, a lot of moments. If I’m someone they can lean on when they need it, I’m here for it.”

From strictly a basketball point of view, Reeves and Mitchell are going to be necessary for this season’s Kentucky squad. The former adds a much-needed scoring threat while the latter fills the gap at the four-spot and helps stretch the floor. They’ve each played in 100-plus college games and know what it takes to win at this level.

Against Germany, Reeves looked like the same shooting savant he was last season. Mitchell canned four three-pointers, most of them coming out of pick-and-pop sets. He brings another layer of options on the perimeter that the Wildcats simply didn’t have the last two seasons. There’s more space now for the likes of Wagner and Rob Dillingham to attack the rim. Calipari’s offense felt more modern as a result, even if it was just one game in mid-July.