Video games pushed Antonio Reeves back to Kentucky

Antonio Reeves‘ value is clear, something Kentucky really couldn’t afford to lose this offseason. As time lingered on without a confirmed return, the unspoken reality of replacing the SEC Sixth Man of the Year without a viable backup option in late June was, well, uncomfortable to say the least.

Fortunately for the Wildcats, that reality never came, as Reeves ultimately returned to Lexington for his fifth and final year of eligibility. A 14.4 point-per-game scorer who knocked down 39.8 percent of his 3-point attempts, building on a successful debut season without the transition period he dealt with last offseason coming from Illinois State.

The results have been about what you’d expect thus far. He opened the 2023 GLOBL JAM in Toronto with a team-high 24-points on 8-16 shooting and 3-7 from three while adding four rebounds, one assist and one steal in a win over Team Germany. Then he followed it up with another team-high 23 points on 10-15 shooting and 3-6 from three — a combined 58 percent overall and 46.2 percent from deep.

Is that good? That sounds pretty good, right?

And he’s enjoying it quite a bit, taking the young talent under his wing while also putting in work himself. It’s why he decided to run it back with the Wildcats.

“This has been fun so far, I can tell you that right now,” Reeves said following Kentucky’s 93-69 win over Team Canada. “Those guys are all playful and I enjoy being around them. They play a lot sometimes, but that’s what I’m here for — to be big brother. It’s definitely been fun, being with them all of the time.”

The 6-foot-5 guard said last week the standout freshmen were on him “every day,” calling and texting Reeves to make sure he knew he was wanted on this roster.

“‘Definitely, we want you back, we want you to be the older brother on the team,’” his potential teammates told him at the time. “This is a family here. They definitely wanted me back, wanted me to be the older guy. That’s how much they really wanted me here. That’s the key, just somebody that wants you, somebody that wants you to be able to play.”

But what if I told you it was late-night gaming sessions that ultimately brought Reeves back to Lexington? The fifth-year senior said it was the time he spent playing Fortnite and Call of Duty with the Wildcats this offseason that made him realize this was where he wanted to be. Having hours-long conversations with the new guys, it became clear they were “ready to go,” he said.

“They called me every now and then saying, ‘Yeah, we need you to come back,’ things like that. I think the vibe really started when we all got in the (video) games together, you know?” Reeves said. “We were playing some games like Fortnite and Call of Duty, things like that. That’s when I knew these guys were ready to go, we’re talking for hours and hours on a game. They just needed a vet around, they said that to me. That’s how it happened.”

He moved back into his dorm on June 20 and returned to practice the following day. Reeves then made it official on July 6 with a return announcement. Slowly but surely, the dynamic scorer was back right on time.

And it was a decision he’s confident was the correct one.

“I had a couple of days where I wasn’t there with the guys, a couple of weeks actually,” Reeves said. “It all worked out to be honest. I’m here now and everything is falling into place. I’m just happy to be here.”

Kids and their video games.