UW freshman forward Reuvers is on the rise
PHILADELPHIA – Nate Reuvers is maturing – rapidly.
“He has made huge strides,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said after UW’s 64-63 victory over Penn State. “This is what? His fourth college game?
“He made plays tonight that he didn’t make on Saturday and that he didn’t even think about making a week ago.
“He was strong. He was poised. He handled contact well.
“He finished inside. He just doesn’t get rattled.
“We thought his ascension would be pretty rapid. He picks up stuff fast. We thought he would improve pretty quickly with some playing time.”
The numbers tell that tale as UW (4-5) prepares to face Temple (4-2) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia.
Reuvers, a 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward from Lakeville, Minn., appeared to be headed for a redshirt year so he could add strength and bulk.
However, a lack of productivity from the power-forward position through UW’s first five games led Gard and the staff to give Reuvers his shot.
Here's how he's progressed:
Game 1: Reuvers played 14 minutes in a 71-49 victory over UW-Milwaukee. He missed all six field-goal attempts and committed four fouls.
However, he contributed six rebounds and two assists and wasn't timid.
“They thought in an ideal world it would be good for me to redshirt, but they thought I could help contribute to this team this year,” Reuvers said after the victory over UWM. “I thought that I’m ready to play and step into a role. So that’s why I’m playing.”
Game 2: Reuvers played 15 minutes in a 49-38 loss at Virginia. He missed all four of his field-goal attempts and had three of UW’s 14 turnovers.
However, he grabbed three rebounds and drew two charges. The willingness to sacrifice his body and draw a charge was telling. Reuvers wasn't going to shy away from physical contact.
Game 3: Reuvers played 10 minutes in UW’s 83-58 loss to Ohio State. He hit 2 of 2 three-pointers, 2 of 2 two-point shots and finished with 10 points, one rebound and one block.
Game 4: Reuvers played 13 minutes in UW’s 64-63 victory over Penn State. He hit 5 of 10 field-goal attempts and finished with 11 points, four rebounds and a steal. Notice a trend?
“He has come a very, very long way,” sophomore guard D’Mitrik Trice said. “You can see he is very good on offense and he can get his shot when he wants.
“It is really good to have him on the court. He needs to get a little stronger, as he is a little baby, but he is coming in right where we need him.
“He is a hard worker. ... He is down there fighting.”
Reuvers showed in his college debut that despite the need for more strength he was willing to battle bigger players on both ends of the court.
He made mistakes on defense but his effort was exemplary. His tenacity and length helped on the glass.
"He just brings a dimension that we really need," Gard said after the victory over UWM. "He can help this team. We discussed it for a couple weeks: ‘What are we going to do?’
"Until we came to a final decision, he was obviously going to sit and not play. But I needed to see and evaluate not only his progression but where we were at in that spot or on the front line with other people." All that was missing was scoring.
In the last two games, Reuvers has displayed the ability to score in the lane and from the three-point line.
Reuvers played a combined 29 minutes in his first two games. He missed all 10 shots but averaged 4.5 rebounds per game. He has played a combined 23 minutes in the last two games and has hit 3 of 4 threepointers and 9 of 14 shots overall. He averaged 10.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in those games.
“I just got some of those nerves out,” Reuvers said. “I think I was just rushing my shots in those first couple games. It’s just being more comfortable.
“I went in the gym and tried to get my rhythm back and I think that has really helped the last two games.”