I was there for Reaves senior night. He couldn't stop hugging Chambers. He said his four years at Penn State were the best four years of his life.
Reaves had plenty of options. He was a four-star player that had offers from schools like Villanova, Maryland, Georgetown, etc. But he chose Penn State and he hasn’t regretted it for a second –– his tweet from 2014 announcing his commitment is still pinned to the top of his profile.
“I couldn’t imagine myself playing at another school,” Reaves said while trying his hardest to fight back tears at mid-court after the game. “This is the best four years of my life. I just love this place so much.”
Reaves had more than a handful of family members in attendance for his final home game, but there’s one in particular that rarely missed a home game over the course of his career –– his mother, Liset.
Even though he’s dialed into every game, he knows he can look up and see his mom sitting in the same seat.
“My mom drives four hours to every game no matter whether it’s at 12, 7 or 8 o’clock she’ll be there,” Reaves said. “Unfortunately, I can still hear her. Just knowing that she’s there is comforting.”
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It’s been 1,212 days since scored his first points in a Penn State uniform.
Reaves intercepted a pass on the first defensive possession of his career and promptly sprinted down the floor for a dunk in transition. It should have been a sign that we were all going to watch Reaves do that on repeat for four years.
It’s only fitting that his last basket in the BJC was the same as the first –– a transition dunk off a steal.
As soon as the ball went in the hoop and Reaves had claimed his career high in points, Chambers sprinted to the nearest referee to call a timeout and ensure that Reaves got the curtain call he earned.
“This is the way you want all of your seniors to go out,” Chambers said. “What [Reaves] means to this program, what he does for us every single day, what a great ambassador for Penn State basketball, and we've got a lot more games to go here.”
While Chambers has certainly earned the right to feel confident that his team can win a few games at the Big Ten Tournament, the only game that’s guaranteed for Reaves and the rest of the Nittany Lions is the next one.
No matter who it’s against, Reaves will almost certainly find himself open on the perimeter. And just like he did as a freshman, he’ll keep shooting.