Antonio Reeves has already won 2 MVPs in a Kentucky jersey

Antonio Reeves hasn’t even played a second of regular-season basketball with the Kentucky Wildcats, and yet, he’s already hoisted two Most Valuable Player trophies as a member of the program. His first MVP came in the summer during Kentucky’s Big Blue Bahamas Tour, where the Illinois State transfer led all players in scoring with 17.0 points per game. He shot 52.4 percent over from the field and connected on over half of his 3-point attempts (14-27; 51.9 percent).

The second came on Saturday night during Kentucky’s annual Blue-White preseason scrimmage. Reeves suited up for the Blue Team and poured in a game-high 27 points, earning MVP honors once again for his impressive performance. Despite going up against (and losing 70-67) a White Team lineup that featured a stacked roster of Jacob Toppin, CJ Fredrick, Daimion Collins, Cason Wallace, and Chris Livingston, Reeves was still the best player on the floor.

Another MVP trophy for Tone 🏆@ToniooReeves – 27 PTS, 5 3PT pic.twitter.com/w11EPvwyBV

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 23, 2022

Along with his 27 points, Reeves added three rebounds, one assist, and one steal while playing all 30 minutes for the Blue Team. Most notably, though, was how his outside shooting from the Bahamas looked like anything but a fluke. Reeves connected on 5-12 shots from beyond the arc and made all six of his free throw attempts in the Blue-White Game.

“I just know my game and I just go out there and I know I can get hot,” Reeves said following the Blue-White Game. “Me having the experience I have in college and just playing basketball in general, I just know my game and how I operate.”

Reeves’s game is filled with quick shots and moving without the ball. He’s a pure scorer — full stop. That’s what he’s been brought to Kentucky to do and that’s exactly what he plans on doing while in Lexington.

“(Coach John Calipari) knows my role for the team, I know my role for the team,” Reeves added. “That’s basically what I can do. I can score. That’s what I’m trying to bring to the team.”

Reeves scored just a hair under 1,200 points during his first three seasons of college at Illinois State. He’s coming off a junior season in which he shot 39.0 percent from beyond the arc and 51.9 percent on 2-pointers. Then he took home MVP honors at the Bahamas for his scoring ability, won the 3-Point Contest at Big Blue Madness (with relative ease), and now has another MVP to add to his growing trophy case.

Reeves continues to put the Big Blue Nation on notice; don’t be surprised if he’s making a major impact for Kentucky once the season begins in early November.