With the NBA Draft rapidly approaching, one of several former Kentucky Wildcats hoping to hear their name called is veteran Antonio Reeves.

Averaging 20.2 points per game in 2023-24 and scoring 27 points — second to only blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sensation Jack Gohlke — in Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament first round defeat against Oakland, Reeves solidified himself as one of the Cats’ best in a year full of disappointed and unmet expectations.

Despite how his college career ended, years prior it might’ve seemed unfathomable that Reeves would be scoring nearly 30 in the NCAA Tournament for the winningest college basketball program of all time.

Coming out of Simeon Career Academy in his hometown of Chicago, Reeves wasn’t the flashy five-star prospect many had come to expect at Kentucky. No, Reeves wasn’t even a single star prospect.

He committed to an in-state school: Illinois State. The “Redbirds” are a mid-major in the Missouri Valley located in Normal, Illinois — a hop, skip and jump away from Bloomington, home of the much larger and more established Indiana Hoosiers.

In year one, Reeves didn’t exactly set the world on fire. The freshman scored an average of just 7.2 points per game and shot a .384 percentage, which would be his career low despite his number of shots increasing. He started just three times for a Redbird squad that finished 10-21 (5-13 in conference) and was bested in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Tournament, ending its season as early as March 5 — well before the NCAA canceled all active postseasons due to Covid-19.

Returning as a sophomore, Reeves increased his play and, by the time he was a junior, his numbers had jumped up to 20.1 points per game shooting .469 from the field and .390 from beyond the arch.

Despite this drastic increase, there was still one problem: March 5 was still the latest Reeves had ever played a game of collegiate basketball.

In year two, the Redbirds dropped to 7-18 (4-14 in conference) and finished dead last in the Missouri Valley before being defeated by Northern Iowa in the opening round of the conference tournament on March 4. One year later, Illinois State earned its first conference tournament win of his tenure, but due to the tournament starting earlier, its second round defeat against the Panthers once again took place on March 4.

Needing a change of scenery to further develop as an elite shooter, Reeves entered the NCAA transfer portal just 17 days later. He gained interest from the likes of DePaul and even visited Nebraska, but when he chose his home, he chose Kentucky.

The Cats were coming off a brutal NCAA Tournament first round loss against Cinderella St. Peter’s after being a two seed with legitimate championship ambitions and needed a scorer to replace former Davidson Wildcat Kellan Grady, who was UK’s lethal scorer before being beaten down by plantar fasciitis come season’s end and running out of eligibility.

In year one, Reeves fulfilled his role well, coming off the bench as the Cats’ sixth man — he would later be named co-SEC Sixth Man of the Year —  and averaging 14.4 points per game and shooting .398 from beyond the arch.

With UK being painfully disjointed all season and failing to live up to lofty expectations with returning consensus National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe, there were legitimate concerns that Reeves would depart Lexington and take his chances in the 2024 NBA Draft following UK’s second round loss against Kansas State, a loss that came on the latest day Reeves would ever play in college: March 19.

Instead, Reeves opted to return for one more season and, in doing so, made perhaps one of his best career decisions possible.

Despite the dreadful ending to the 2023-24 season — an ending so bad that it ultimately culminated in the conclusion of the 15-year John Calipari era in Lexington — Reeves was electric. The fifth-year senior averaged 20.2 points per game — the highest of any player at UK during the Calipari era — and reached a career tally of 1,155 points — also a Calipari record.

None of that is to mention that he did so shooting .447 from beyond the arch while also greatly expanding his game and becoming a three-level scoring threat.

Officially entering the NBA Draft pool in April, it’s still an uphill battle for the veteran, as even just his status as a veteran hinders him. At 23 years of age, Reeves is on the higher end of prospects when it comes to age, especially compared to likely lottery picks and former teammates Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard, both of whom are just 19-20 years old.

Undeterred, Reeves, the highly efficient Third-Team All American, signed with agent Sam Rose — the same Rose who helped former Cats Isaiah Jackson and Jacob Toppin to sign NBA contracts — and hopes to hear his name called during the 2024 NBA Draft.

Whether or not he is drafted is to be seen, but one thing is for certain and followers of Reeves should make no mistake about it: Antonio Reeves will sign with an NBA team.

Dating back to his Redbird days, teammates had described Reeves as having a “professional mindset.” Now, whether through the NBA Draft or as an undrafted free agent, Reeves won’t just have the mindset, he’ll have the contract, too.