Illinois State transfer Antonio Reeves calls NU visit a ‘great experience’

Antonio Reeves had seen big-time college football environments before, most recently during a trip to a Wisconsin home game.

But when the Illinois State transfer combo guard saw more than 54,000 people file into Memorial Stadium for Nebraska’s spring game on Saturday, his definition of fan support took on a new meaning.

Reeves was in Lincoln this weekend for his first official visit since entering the NCAA Transfer Portal on Mar. 22. Despite a slew of blue-blood interest, the Chicago native chose to see the Huskers first.

His decision did not disappoint.

“They said there was going to be 50,000 fans there, and I was like, ‘whoa,” Reeves said. “That was more than most any regular football game I’d ever been to. It was a great experience. The fan support there is crazy. I enjoyed it 100 percent.”

“My overall impression was that it was really nice; great atmosphere,” Reeves added. “The campus life seemed great. I really enjoyed it.”

The 6-foot-6 junior ranked 19th nationally with an average of 20.1 points per game on 46.9 percent shooting (39.0% from 3-point range and 81.8% on free throws), 3.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per contest last season.

He scored in double figures in 31 of the 33 games he played in 2021-22, including 18 20-point efforts. The former Chicago Simeon High School product was a second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection and was named captain of the league’s Most Improved Team.

Reeves also became the first Redbird player in 21 years to average more than 20 ppg and made the All-District 16 team from the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

After entering the portal, Reeves immediately heard from a bevy of high-major programs. Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg and assistant coach Armon Gates were among the first to reach out.

His relationship with the staff, including a pre-existing connection with new assistant Adam Howard, developed quickly over the following weeks. But Reeves’ interest in the Huskers reached a new level after seeing exactly how he’d fit into Hoiberg’s five-out offensive system.

“They know what I’m capable of doing,” Reeves said. “They basically want me to do what I do – create off the dribble for my teammates, be a facilitator, and score the ball. I’m good at scoring. Just do what I do on the offensive end.”

“I would definitely, 100-percent enjoy playing in his offense,” Reeves added. “He plays an NBA-style of offense, and you would learn a lot because Coach Hoiberg has played in the league and coached in the league. He definitely knows how to put guys in position to be a facilitator or a scorer.”

While the spring signing period officially begins on Wednesday, Reeves isn’t going to rush a decision on his eventual transfer destination. He plans to take at least one more visit this coming weekend but said he hadn’t figured out where just yet.

According to Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers, the other schools that Reeves has heard from the most include North Carolina, Kentucky, Wisconsin, LSU, Texas Tech, Ohio State, Missouri, Georgetown, UConn, Alabama, Xavier, Memphis, Arizona State, DePaul, BYU, and Jacksonville State.

Reeves said a couple of those schools had been in contact more than the others but declined to specify which ones.

One thing he does know is that he will eventually choose his future school within the next three to four weeks, though he hasn’t finalized a commitment date.

Nebraska got the first crack at one of the top transfer scorers on the market, and Reeves said the Huskers certainly made their case this weekend.

“It was all just really welcoming,” Reeves said. “They’ve made me feel welcome, and they want me to come there.”