Should Illinois Basketball Target Antonio Reeves?

Should Illinois Basketball Target Antonio Reeves?

Recently, there have been rumors swirling around that Kentucky shooting guard, Antonio Reeves, will be entering the transfer portal. Reeves is a Chicago-land product that played high school basketball at Simeon. He initially started his college career with two years at Illinois State, and recently played this past season for the Kentucky Wildcats. The Simeon product underwent the NBA draft process and elected to withdraw, however there are rumors suggesting that he will not return to Kentucky.

Though Reeves has not officially transferred, I wanted to dig into his scenario and if he would be a target for Illinois

The Situation:

Reeves has already transferred once. If he wants the liberty to play wherever he wants without the need of a waiver, he will have needed to graduated Kentucky. Per our sources, that will not happen until later this summer. Reeves needs to meet with John Calipari regarding his future; he put up 14.1 points last season, which is respectable at the SEC level. However, Reeves seems to want to put up more volume so that he can improve his NBA draft stock. This could be available at Kentucky depending on how you look at it. The Chicago native will be one of, if not the, oldest players on the Kentucky roster. This will ensure that he will be one of the leaders on the team with an important role. Kentucky could also provide quite the appealing NIL package as well.

On the flip of that, Kentucky is bringing in the number one recruiting class in the country. This includes multiple combo guards and wings that could technically take shots away from Antonio Reeves.

Does that fit Illinois?

If Illinois were to pursue Reeves, the fit is not really obvious. Illinois obviously needs shooters to surround Terrence Shannon Jr and Coleman Hawkins. However, do they need another player who projects as a wing? Illinois needs a table setter as opposed to a player with a similar offensive profile to Shannon Jr. Antonio Reeves has never averaged more than 2 assists at Kentucky and has been more of a shooter.

Also, Illinois does not have the scholarships available to take him. Unless attrition happens, I am not sure how this entirely works. If Illinois were to cancel their commitment from one of their transfer portal adds, that would be the only option to even get Antonio Reeves. Though Reeves is a no-doubt high major talent, I am not sure how Reeves fits. Logistically and from a style point of view, the fit is questionable.

Illinois always can use talent, that is for sure. However, if they have learned anything from last year, it is that building a roster means much more than bunching talent together.