Antonio Reeves Gets the Ball Rolling On and Off the Court
We all know Antonio Reeves, the sharp-shooting, smooth-driving guard who plays for Kentucky, but what about Antonio Reeves, off the court?
The beginning
The 6’6 fifth-year from Chicago has made his way into the hearts of Kentucky fans after returning for his final season in the blue and white. Prior to being a Wildcat, Reeves was a three-star recruit who grew up with a ball in his hands. Out of high school, he committed to play at Illinois State University and went on to become a starter who averaged 20.1 points per game and went 39.0% from behind the arc by his junior season.
Once the transfer portal opened at the end of his junior year, Antonio — or ‘Tone, as he is referred to by his close friends and family — was one of the highest sought out players for other universities. After a long-awaited announcement, Reeves ended up committing to play the rest of his college career at Kentucky over the likes of Nebraska, Oregon, and Xavier.
Welcome to the BBN
Ever since arriving at UK, Reeves has been a stud from the field, averaging 42.6% from the three so far this season and leading the team from the charity stripe with an 87.9% average. Although Reeves has continued to improve on the court, something that he enjoys doing outside of the gym and off the court could be one of the factors that go into the improvements that continue to be seen on the hardwood.
What could be that something, you may ask? Well, you can find him at the bowling alley. Just hours after scoring 21 points (his ninth 20-point outing of the season) against Georgia on Saturday night, Reeves was at Collins – Southland Bowling Alley in Lexington to hang out with fans and toss some strikes.
“I think it’s the shooting,” Anthony (Tone) Reeves, Antonio’s dad said. “They say great shooters because some of them are great bowlers, and I think that there’s something in the shooting that comes from him bowling.”
Bowling is in his blood
Reeves’ dad and his mom, Dawn Coulter, both said that Antonio has always enjoyed bowling from the time that he was 10 or 11 years old. The hobby runs in the family.
“His mom had a big influence on that, she is a great bowler,” Anthony said. “On that side of the family his grandfather and all of his kin were great bowlers.”
Coulter is a long-time bowler, too.
“Yes, I am, I grew up bowling in a league, my parents bowled and we loved it,” Coulter said.
Coulter said that she and Antonio would go on mom-and-son dates where she would bring him to the bowling alley with her, and that’s when it all started. Both of Reeves’ parents said that bowling is a big stress reliever for their son.
“He tells me a lot of times after the games on his off days when he doesn’t have to practice, he’ll come here and it’s his relax mode, just with him and his friends,” Anthony Reeves said.
Reeves is said to frequent Southland Lanes anytime he has a break. He will even head on over after a game, just like he did on Saturday night for his NIL event that was hosted by Collins Bowling Centers.
“You know, definitely a stress reliever, he does it when he’s not playing ball and after he plays ball,” Coulter said. “He will definitely come here (Southland Lanes), this is how they know him from doing that, after the game.”
For the love of it
An idea came up since Reeves has been a regular at the bowling alley for a while now, that the two parties should team up to put on a NIL event for the Kentucky sharpshooter. The deal was that Reeves would bowl with any group that would pay $200 per lane for up to five people, and they would also receive a signed pin from him.
“About a year ago I saw him come in on a regular basis after the games with friends and stuff, I reached out to him and we talked, me, him and his agent for about four months on something that we could do together,” Cooper Collins, owner of Collins Bowling said.
Collins said that he thought it could be really fun for him to come out and share his hobby with fans.
“You wouldn’t even know he was a UK basketball player because he would just be hanging out with his friends, just doing what he loved,” Collins said.
Reeves is the first athlete to partner up with Southland and Collins on an event like that, but Collins said that others are reaching out after seeing what Saturday night was like.
Even though we all love to see Reeves on the court, rocking Kentucky blue, now there is another sport that opponents would not want to go up against the Chicago-native in. The fifth year, transfer has already been off the charts this season, and if it takes going bowling after every game then grab your shoes because he’ll be there.
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