Lucas: Reuvers has earned time on the court
December 01, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Mike Lucas
Initially redshirting this season, Badgers bring 6-foot-10 true freshman off the bench to add to inside game
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard knew what he wanted to do with freshman Nate Reuvers. But he sought out the opinions of others as part of his due diligence.
"I had my own thoughts and observations and there was an on-going discussion with our staff for weeks," he said. "What are we going to do with Nate? Should we play him? Or not?"
If the decision was to play the 6-foot-10, 215-pound Reuvers, a four-star recruit out of Lakeville (Minnesota) North High School, Gard said, "We're going to commit to really playing him to make it worth it."
On that basis, he elaborated, "I didn't want to be in a position to have a couple of minutes for him in one game and no minutes in another game.
"If he was playing, there wasn't going to be any half-stepping with it."
After bouncing potential scenarios off his assistants, making sure to keep Reuvers (pronounced REE-vers) in the loop, Gard decided to talk with UW athletic director Barry Alvarez, a Hall of Fame football coach.
"Have you ever gotten into a season and pulled a redshirt?" he asked him.
Alvarez confirmed that he had and cited Donald Hayes, a lanky 6-5, 190-pound wide receiver from Madison East. The plan to redshirt Hayes was abandoned after an injury to Lee DeRamus.
"Hayes was one," Gard pointed out, "and he (Alvarez) said there were numerous others."
Shortly after getting off the phone with Alvarez, Gard got an unexpected call from Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. Over the last few years, they've built a strong friendship.
After casually discussing their respective teams, Gard popped the same question about in-season redshirting to Izzo. Has he had some experience with it?
Izzo brought up two examples: Charlie Bell from the late '90s and Xavier Tillman from his present team. Tillman, a 6-8, 260-pound freshman, is averaging 10 minutes of playing time.
Noted Gard, "He (Izzo) said, 'It got to the point where you know we've got to be playing him.'"
Izzo and Alvarez, according to Gard, drew essentially the same conclusions.
"They said, 'He's going to flop and flounder around a little bit' which I know all freshmen do," Gard agreed. "But his ascension will be pretty rapid as he learns and grows."
Reuvers did not suit up for the early games on the Wisconsin schedule.
"I wanted to continue to evaluate not only his progression," Gard said, "but also how we played against bigger, more experienced, more physical frontlines.
"Once we got through Xavier, Baylor and UCLA — combined with how he was practicing; he was getting better and more comfortable — we just sat him until we knew which route we wanted to go."
With no fanfare, Reuvers made his college debut on Nov. 24 at the Kohl Center. He played 14 minutes against Milwaukee. He didn't make a shot (0-for-6). But he grabbed six rebounds.
Last Monday night, Reuvers played 15 minutes in a hostile road environment at Virginia. Again, he failed to score (0-for-4) but got his hands on some 50-50s, drew a couple charges and collected three boards.
Freshmen fueled, the #Badgers got back on track last night.
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What kind of role does Gard envision for Reuvers? Especially going into Saturday's Big Ten opener against Ohio State at the Kohl Center and next Monday on the road at Penn State.
First, he made this concession, "He's not strong enough yet. Most freshman aren't."
Secondly, he outlined his plan for Reuvers.
"He's one of our first bigs off the bench right now just because he brings a dimension to fit how we want to play," he said. "He can play inside and outside, and he has a willingness to fight and battle.
"He's active on the glass and he's bouncy and understands the game. He moves the ball. He makes the right passes at the right time. And he picks up things really quick. He's a smart kid.
"There are certain things that he will give up because of his lack of strength and development. But there are a lot of things that he will add because of his basketball acumen and skill set."
Plus, let's not forget one thing, he said, "Doing the things he can do at 6-10 can really help us."
When Reuvers arrived on campus for summer workouts in preparation for an August exhibition tour of New Zealand and Australia, he wasn't leaning one way or another on redshirting.
"Honestly, no one is ever totally sure," said Reuvers. "Some people are telling you, 'You're a top recruit' so you think, 'Hey, I should probably be coming in and playing.'
"And then you come into practice and work against the guys and get a feel for it. At first, I was kind of like, 'I don't know. These are bigger, older guys and I'm a freshman going against them.'
"I had some talks with Coach before the season. We really didn't make a decision."
As long as he didn't play, the redshirt was still available.
"We kind of let the decision," Reuvers said, "take care of itself."
"He had a really good July and August," he said. "And, then, in September and October, he kind of fell off the map, so to speak. Maybe it was just starting college and having a lot on his plate."
That was it exactly.
"I guess you could say I hit a wall," Reuvers said. "That's probably normal for a freshman."
And then he made another surge on the court in November.
"He was more noticeable in practice," Gard said.
During this period, Wisconsin's two other true freshmen — Brad Davison and Kobe King — were playing and contributing, especially Davison who earned a spot in the starting lineup.
Was there any feeling of detachment for Reuvers?
"You could say a little bit," he confided. "They were out there playing and you're sitting on the bench watching. It was good seeing them have success. But you want to be out there playing with them.
"I had the mindset of working hard every day in practice and the weight room, so when my opportunity came, I could take advantage of it."
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Now that the decision has been made to play Reuvers, what does he bring to the team?
"Ethan (Happ) is going to have a lot of pressure on him with double-teams," Reuvers said. "If you can step out and make some shots, it's definitely going to take the pressure off him."
He will also focus on "just going hard to the offensive and defensive glass."
Reuvers knows that his stamina, or any lack thereof, will be questioned.
"It definitely is a question," he acknowledged. "Playing against bigger guys and working for position all the time, that gets you more tired. Once you get stronger, it won't take as much energy."
At this stage, there are some physical parallels between Reuvers and another Minnesota native, Jon Leuer, who had his baby giraffe moments while playing as a true freshman for the Badgers.
The 6-10 Leuer, who's from Long Lake (Orono High School), could stretch a defense. But he struggled that first season. His top highlight was scoring 25 against Michigan in the league opener.
Leuer continued to develop and improve each year, a signature mark of the UW program, to where he averaged 18 points as a senior. Today, he's playing in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons.
One thing that Reuvers has shown in practice and through his first two appearances has been a scrappiness. He has not been afraid to mix it up. He did grow up with three older brothers and a sister.
"I guess that makes me a little scrappy," he said with a grin. "I have one brother that is a year older than me and we'd always play against each other, one-on-one, in the backyard."
Having to wait behind older siblings might have also taught Reuvers patience. Something we all might need as we follow not only the 19-year-old Reuvers, but also Davison and King.
"We're going to grow through some growing pains and we already have," Gard said of his freshmen. "They're learning on the fly. But I think it's going to expedite their growth."
You won't hear any complaints from Reuvers.
"It's exciting to be here," he said, "and playing."
