Blevins looks to finish college career on high note
Blevins looks to finish college career on high note
Hot Springs native Keljin Blevins said he enjoyed a highlight of his basketball career this month when his Montana State team ventured to his home state to take on the flagship Razorbacks in Fayetteville.
The well-traveled redshirt senior was greeted by many of his family members from the state he still calls “home,” even though he has not lived in Arkansas since his junior year at Lakeside. He is the son of James Blevins and Mary Burgess.
“It was everything for me,” Blevins said. “It was probably one of the best moments for me since I have been playing college basketball. Growing up in Arkansas, my dream school was obviously the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
“Going back to be able to play against them in front of basically half of my family was great for me. My mom was there, all of my aunties, my grandma, my grandpa and my sister. It was a good time for me. I loved it.”
The 90-68 loss to the Razorbacks (4-1) marked the first time Blevins played in his home state in five years of college basketball. The Bobcats did travel to Louisiana Tech last season in Ruston, La., where another Hot Springs product, Exavian Christon, is now a sophomore for the Bulldogs.
Blevins averaged 10 points and 7.3 rebounds at Lakeside for the 5A-South conference championship team that finished 22-6. He opted to play his senior season at a prep school in Arlington, Va.
Bishop Denis J. O’Connell was 20-12 in Blevins’ lone season with the team. He received 2014 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference All-Met Elite honorable mention, but he finished his high school career without a Division I offer.
Blevins was young enough to play another AAU season with the New Orleans Elite and received seven Division I offers. Florida A&M and Northern Arizona were among programs to offer him a scholarship, but he chose to begin his college career at Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
“The coaches and the players were all genuine,” Blevins said. “I had a great time there. I loved my teammates, and I loved my coaches. The social environment was good for me. It felt more like home than anything.”
Blevins averaged 15.9 minutes in 25 games as a freshman. He averaged 5.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game during the 2015-16 season, playing in all 29 games.
Southern Mississippi never played a game in Arkansas during his two seasons with the team, despite its close proximity. The Golden Eagles finished 9-20 in his freshman season and 8-21 in his sophomore year.
“I just got to the point where I felt like I needed to move on,” Blevins said. “This was a better place for me. It was not anything personal against Southern Miss. It was just a better situation for me.”
Montana State finished 14-17 overall with a 9-9 record in the Big Sky Conference the season Blevins opted to continue his career in Bozeman. The Bobcats improved to 16-16 and 11-7 in the Big Sky as Blevins redshirted after transferring per NCAA rules.
Blevins (6-6, 200) was the team’s third-leading scorer and leading rebounder in his first active season in Bozeman. He averaged 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds in 32 games.
Montana State began the 2017-18 season 11-6 and 4-0 in the Big Sky. Blevins said the team hit a slump and was unable to recover. The Bobcats
finished 6-12 in conference play and 13-19 overall after a 76-74 loss to end the season in the first round of the conference tournament against North Dakota.
The team lost six of its first seven games this season, including five true road games, before holding off North Dakota (4-3), 81-76, Tuesday in Bozeman. The Fighting Hawks now play in the Summit League.
It was Blevins who helped seal the win. Blevins scooped up a loose ball, ran the length of the floor and slammed home a dunk in the final seconds to give Montana State (2-6) a late cushion. He also made a layup with a minute remaining in the game to put the Bobcats ahead, 74-69.
Blevins scored a game-high 18 points on 8-for-15 shooting with six rebounds. He is now the team’s second-leading scorer at 11.5 points with 5.5 rebounds per game.
“We have played a tough schedule, but we have some games coming up where I feel if we play hard, play with what we’ve got and everybody plays to the best of their abilities, we have a chance to turn this thing all of the way around,” Blevins said.
Blevins said head coach Mark Fish and his coaching staff look to him as one of four seniors on the roster to provide leadership, rebounding and energy as the best defender on the court. Rival Montana was the Big Sky’s preseason pick to repeat as conference champion, while Montana State tied for sixth in the preseason poll.
“I want to go to the (NCAA) Tournament,” Blevins said. “That has been my thing. I have not been to the Tournament in my college career. I want to do that and have the best year that I can, individually, play my hardest and see where it gets me.”
Blevins said he hopes to play professionally after he finishes college, but he has not explored his options yet.
“I just take it one step at a time,” Blevins said. “I will finish this off, and then I will find something. I will worry about that then.”
Blevins also has family in Oakland, Calif., and Portland, Ore., where he often trains with his cousin, three-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard. He said he returns home to Arkansas any chance he can on breaks from the team, including enjoying Thanksgiving with his family this month.
The sociology major said he has three more credits remaining next semester before he graduates in May. He said he will graduate with a minor in business.
His AAU coach, Jeff Corder, was among local supporters who traveled to Fayetteville for the game against Arkansas. Blevins said he remains thankful for the support he receives from Hot Springs.
“He is a big reason why I am playing basketball today,” Blevins said. “I am a big family guy. Shout-out to my family and everybody else that has helped me along the way.”
Montana State will continue its season on Sunday with another challenging road game at 6 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network against Washington State (4-1). The Bobcats will then travel to Denver (2-4) on Dec. 18 before opening conference play on Dec. 29 at Southern Utah (3-1).