Oklahoma basketball: Austin Reaves set to make dynamic impact with Sooners

Oklahoma Basketball will look different for 2019-20 season as they look to compete in the Big 12. Transfer Austin Reaves will have a big say in how good the Sooners will be.

On May 15th, 2018 it was announced that sharp shooting guard Austin Reaves had transferred from Wichita State and would attend the University of Oklahoma.

I was lucky enough to recently conduct an interview with Austin, asking questions about his time before being an Oklahoma Sooner. How he adjusted to the college game, his time at Wichita St. and what exactly went into his decision to play basketball for Oklahoma, and most importantly his expectations for this Oklahoma Basketball team moving forward.

My questions and his answers will be listed below. Enjoy.

Being from North East Arkansas, I have been apart of and witnessed some really good basketball these last few years.

From the best in game dunk in possibly basketball history by Victor Dukes.

Current Arkansas Razorback Desi Sills and his state championship Jonesboro Hurricane team, Former Kansas Jayhawk Hunter Mickelson, and of course, former 11th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft,  the Charlotte Hornet’s very own Malik Monk. But none of those guys put on a performance’s in High-school like Austin Reaves did.

I was able to Witness Reaves put up 73 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in a win against the eventual class 5A state champion Forrest City Mustangs. It was mind blowing. He was getting double and triple teamed and was beating the defenses press by himself, it was honestly a video game type performance. He also tallied point totals of 57, 56, 53 and 49 on the season.

I asked Austin to explain his transition from high school to college, and what potential challenges he had. His response:

“The hardest thing to get used to for me was the speed of the game and the physicality. It’s much different from high school”

The pace of college games, especially with there being a shot clock would surely take some time to get adjusted to, as a player has to learn his rhythm and role in a brand new offense.

And the physicality and strength of college players is much more advanced than your average high school athlete, its much harder to get by your opponent, much else weave through double and triple teams like Reaves once did.

Good thing Austin spent most of his time around the three-point line. Don’t get me wrong, Reaves has bulked up to 180 pounds now, which is 15 pounds heavier than his 165 pound days at Cedar Ridge, but when you shoot .509 percent your freshman season, and .425 percent his sophomore year, there isn’t as much of a need to bang around inside.

Austin Reaves played two seasons at Wichita state where he put up averages of 11.8 minutes per game, as he collected 4.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game his Freshman year.

His Sophomore season he saw his minutes jump up to 21.5 minutes per game, where he reached totals of 8.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2 assists per contest.

Reaves left his mark in Wichita St. as he left with the school record for three pointers in a half with seven.

I then went on to ask him about how he liked his two years at Wichita State, and what he liked or learned while being there.

You can tell Wichita State will always have a special place in his heart. He responded by saying:

“Wichita was a great experience for me, it was the upper class who taught me how to work hard everyday. I also met a lot of people that I’m really good friends with today. The program taught me a lot of things like to be a hard worker not just on the court, but in everyday life.”

So why did he choose to leave Wichita State? Playing time wasn’t the issue, so why did he pack up his bags and head to Norman?

More from Busting Brackets

• Oregon Basketball: Projected starting lineup and depth chart for 2023-24
• Big East Basketball: Ranking all head coaches going into 2023-24 season
• Florida State Basketball: Is Seminoles roster good enough to win in 2023-24?
• SEC Basketball: 10 potential additions for the league if they ever expanded
• NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top 5 teams for 4-star PG Jeremiah Johnson

My question was simple. So what exactly went into his decision on transferring to Oklahoma?

He had a simple answer as well. Oklahoma felt like home.

“Oklahoma just seemed like the best fit for me. When I came on my visits I felt like I was in a great place around great people and great coaches. Coach Kruger is a hall of fame coach who lets his players play. He trusts his players to make the right decisions and reads in the offense and I feel like that’s something I can do for this team. So the coaching staff, and the culture with the guys are the main reason Oklahoma was the spot.”

Moving from a school you once committed too, and spent two years with, to a much larger school in Oklahoma could be complicated. That’s when I asked how the transition has been for the sharp shooting guard, and how coach Kruger, the team, and OU fans made him feel welcome.

Reaves firmly believes Oklahoma is where he should be. He Said:

“From day one the coaching staff, the players, and the community has made me feel at home.”

Not only is the transition to a new school hard, Reaves also had to learn how to adapt to Oklahoma’s basketball system. A system that is much different than what he was accustomed to at Wichita State. This is his words on the biggest differences in his opinion between the Sooners and the Shockers.

“There’s really not a big difference. We were really good at Wichita and we have a chance to be really good here at Oklahoma in the next couple of years. The main thing would be styles of coaching. Marshall is a more demanding coach and Coach Kruger is more of let his players make the decisions kind of coach. Both are very successful at what they do, so both ways work very well.”

This Sooners offense is built to better suit Austin’s style of play in my opinion. The free flowing offense allows the teams play makers to do what they do best, which is to make plays and generate points. Reaves, a kid who once again may I remind you scored SEVENTY THREE POINTS in a game in that same type of system should do well. But don’t just take my words into consideration, take Austin’s. I asked him how well he fit into the Sooners system and his favorite part of it. This is what he said:

“I think it’s a really good fit. It’s a system where we are most of the time going to play three guards and the 1 through the 3 are interchangeable.  We play at a faster pace and can score in transition, so I think it’s something that fits me really well, where the ball will be in my hands more to make decisions on the floor.”

The Oklahoma basketball program is growing. A bid in March madness two years ago, but a round of 64 loss turned into the team blowing out Ole Miss and totaling the most points out of any team in the first round to advance to the round of 32. Add that with Austin Reaves being eligible this next season, and a currently 16th ranked recruiting class by 24/7 sports, should we expect even more next year?

Austin believes so. I asked him his expectations next year with some key players returning like Brady Manek, and star recruits like De’Vion Harmon joining the team next season. His response:

“We’re going into the season with high expectations. Yes we will be young, but we will be a group that competes every night to win. The guys that are returning are great players along with the guys we have coming in, and we can’t be more excited to get those guys in and start working.”

I would agree, this team will be young, but it wont be inexperienced. This Sooners team has had recent March Madness experience, including these last two seasons and Reaves has played in the big dance as well. I’m calling it right now. This Sooners team will make the sweet-16 next year. They will improve once again. They went from getting to the round of 64 two years ago, to the round of 32 this season, and I expect them to continue to improve and last to at least the sweet 16.

I ended the interview by allowing Austin Reaves to say whatever he wanted, and to get anything he had on his mind or anything he wanted to say to Sooner nation out. His response made me smile.

“They just need to know every night we are going to compete to win every game like its our last.”

It’s simple. He’s focused. And he wants to win.

So there you have it, there’s the story of Austin Reaves. Fans may know the returning players and the recruits, but I decided to show a little love to the guy who’s living the best of both worlds as a player who will be returning and making his debut next year. After transferring, he had to sit out last season and couldn’t show fans what he was made of. He will be returning to the Oklahoma team next year with two years of eligibility, patiently awaiting his debut.

Expect a guard who will not only decimate teams with his three-point stroke, but will flourish as a ball handler in a new system, making plays for the boys wearing Crimson and white.

To Austin, thank you again so much for the opportunity to interview you.

And to Sooner nation. Buckle up. Next season is going to be a thrill ride.