Austin Reaves | The Hill Billy Kobe

Austin Reaves is a 6-foot-6 guard for the Oklahoma Sooners who is preparing for the NBA draft. He says that he has a story that is going to be different from the others.

Austin grew up on a farm in a small town called Newark, Arkansas. He didn't have any notoriety coming out of high school and he has had to literally work for everything. He knew nothing about AAU basketball, and when he would play, nobody was there to watch him.

He grew up playing baseball, and in the 7th grade, he made the decision to play basketball full-time. Despite putting up 'crazy numbers' in high school through hard work, determination, and after a 6-inch growth sport, he was a no-star recruit who chose Wichita State over 4 other D-1 offers. He stayed at Wichita State for two years where he earned the nickname 'Hillbilly Kobe,' or, "HBK" for short, before transferring and starting at OU.

FIGURE OUT THINGS YOU CAN DO TO STAY ON THE COURT

When he was asked about transitioning to big-time college basketball, Austin said:

"We had a really good team going in at Wichita State. Landry Shamet was there both years I was there. I was a freshman and I graduated high school at 17 years old, so I was still young. I was just a kid playing a grown man’s game. I was smart enough to know that I wasn’t the best player on the team. But I needed to figure out things that I could do to stay on the court. At that point, it was making open shots and taking charges and doing little things. That’s what I did to get the minutes, which progressed to more minutes as a sophomore. But I was really doing the things it took to help us win. During my time at Wichita State, I was strictly a catch-and-shoot guy and I got to Oklahoma and I became more of a playmaker. Going into Oklahoma, there was an opportunity for me to expand my role and do more and do what I was capable of doing. I just jumped on that opportunity early and it worked out well."

MAKE MISTAKES AND LEARN FROM THEM 

When he was asked about playing for coach Lon Kruger at OU, Austin said:

"I adapted to the way coach Lon Kruger let his guys operate and make mistakes and learn from them. I believe that you can make mistakes and that is how you better yourself. I learned how to be in that situation, and it was a blessing because I wanted to expand my role. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to mess up first and then figure it out. I leaned on coach Kruger and he had the trust in me."

Players and coaches can learn from those two quotes. Players, it is important to find ways to stay on the court and help your team win.

Coaches, it is important to create a structured environment where players can operate and make mistakes and learn from them.

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