Kentucky ready to improve against TAMU-C
Nov. 10—Antonio Reeves is the most 'veteran' of any University of Kentucky player on the men's basketball team simply because he is the only one on the roster who was a starter and major contributor last season.
Reeves was the team's leading returning scorer, and it's major outside scoring threat over the last third of the 2022-23 season. Reeves might not have as much responsibility for that outside scoring if his freshman teammates score like they did in UK's 86-46 win over New Mexico State on Monday night to open the college basketball season.
"I don't have a lot of pressure on me," Reeves said Thursday. "Just be ready to create or be ready to shoot. It makes me feel good, having great players around me. Those guys can create shots and do their own thing."
Kentucky's freshmen were the ones leading No. 16 UK in scoring against New Mexico State.
Freshman Rob Dillingham led all scorers with 17 points, while fellow freshman guard D.J. Wagner had 13. Two other freshmen, Justin Edwards and Reed Sheppard, each had 12 points, while the senior Reeves had 11.
"The younger guys are finally getting it, playing at the collegiate level," Reeves said. "They played really well for the first game. There were no nerves. They are adjusting to the pace of the game really well. In transition, those guys were flying down the court."
Reeves likes the attacking style a lot of the younger players employ on the court.
"Hungry mentality, they're tough, they play with a lot of grit," Reeves said. "They just focus from the start of the game until the end of the game. That's what I really like about this team."
Texas A&M-Commerce will be playing its third game of the season on Friday night. The Lions lost at Texas A&M 78-46 on Monday, then fell at Texas Tech 73-46 on Wednesday.
Jerome Brewer leads the Lions in scoring, averaging 12 points per outing, and rebounding, pulling down seven boards per contest. Kalen Williams averages 11.5 points per game for TAMU-C.
