Providence Basketball: Analyzing the 2018 recruiting class for the Friars

AJ Reeves – Roxbury, MA

Wing | 6’6” | 210 lbs| No. 47 overall

Reeves is one of the two top 50 recruits in this class and provides some much-needed perimeter shooting to the Friars lineup. He has excellent size for a wing at 6’6” and he has the ability to create his own shot off the dribble as well as spot up for long-range looks.

If he hits shots, then he will absolutely play a significant role on this team. However, it is not uncommon for freshman to struggle with their jumper, even players who are billed as great shooters. Jalen Lindsey was the best shooter on the team for the past two seasons and he only shot 33% from deep as a freshman and only 27% as a sophomore.

So even if Reeves does not hit shots out of the gate, there is no reason to panic for his long-term prospects. Although, with an extremely deep roster filled with multi-positional players, Reeves will need to find ways to make an impact defensively and with his floor game, even when the shots aren’t falling.

Reeves has an extremely high upside, but I’ll conservatively project 15 minutes per game for the talented freshman. This roster lacks shooting so there is definitely an opportunity for more minutes, but there is steep competition. Senior wing Isaiah Jackson and junior guard Maliek White seem poised for bigger roles as upperclassmen. Not to mention Alpha Diallo who is the Friars’ best player and will see major minutes on the wing. Emmitt Holt’s return also creates a domino effect that will reduce the potential minutes for perimeter players.

We may have to wait until next season for Reeves to break out and play a sizable role for the Friars.