UNIVERSITY PARK, PA -Senior guard Josh Reaves registered his 1,000th career point in the Nittany Lion's 95-71 win over Nebraska last week, leading to a well-deserved standing ovation at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Reaves had ten points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks on the night, and his 3-point field goal with 2:46 remaining in the game made him just the 36th player in program history to achieve the 1,000-point scoring milestone.
Despite all the individual success Reaves has gained in his four years in Happy Valley, it's not the statistical accomplishments or records that give him the most pride — it's his ability to persevere at all costs.
Throughout his life, Reaves has been no stranger to adversity. He was forced to overcome numerous obstacles growing up, many of which have helped shape him into the person he is today.
When Reaves, a native of Fairfax, Va, was just 6 years old, his father unexpectedly passed away.
"I remember every day after school we would play basketball for hours," Reaves said about his fondest memories with his dad. "Just me, him, and my brother just shooting on the court outside for hours."
His mother, Liset Reaves, was left doing her best to keep a single-parent household going strong.
"My mom would take me and drive me everywhere to go to this game or that game, this tournament or that tournament, this tryout or that tryout," Reaves said. "No matter how far away it was, my mother always found a way to get me to the game on time and always found a way to have my uniforms clean and ready to go."
With his mom and family firmly in his corner, Reaves was able to spend his childhood playing the game he loved most.
"I don't think I'd be here without the constant driving back and forth to practices and back and forth from different tournaments," Reaves said of his mom's huge impact on both his life and involvement in basketball. "This is a level I'd never thought I'd be at."
Despite an exceptional support system, the two-sport athlete progressed through his first couple years of high school, playing both varsity basketball and soccer. He then hit a crossroads with the game of basketball.
"My freshman year was a really bad time for me," Reaves said. "I was kind of away from home and the one sport that I truly did care about wasn't going anywhere. I was really contemplating quitting (basketball) and just playing soccer."
Reaves was on the verge of abandoning basketball completely, the game he grew up loving because of the influence of his late father. His biggest supporter, his mother, convinced him not to give up.
"I remember talking to her after one of my games, and she was just talking to me and being supportive. I just kept pushing and kept fighting and I'm here now," Reaves said.
"I wouldn't be here without her. I probably wouldn't be playing basketball still if it wasn't for her."
Reaves then decided to focus and work harder than ever, doing anything and everything in his power to improve as a basketball player in hopes of earning more minutes on the court.
"I tried to do whatever I could to play," Reaves said. "I asked the coach what I needed to do, I asked the assistants what I needed to do, I asked my teammates what I could do better. I guarded the best player during practice every single day. I did whatever I could, and nothing worked."
Slowly, over time, the tables started to turn for Reaves. As an upperclassman, he began to find success on the court, thanks to his outstanding work ethic and steadfastness.
"I just learned," Reaves recalled. "I took in all the information like a sponge. I asked questions and I just learned. My junior year, I just blew up, honestly. I was first team all-conference, and it all happened all of a sudden.
"I didn't expect any of it. I was just playing basketball and just having fun and I was just trying to find that joy again because I lost it for a little bit. That's when I finally realized I was getting interest from colleges."
Following a successful junior campaign, Reaves transferred to Oak Hill Academy where he played his senior season and flourished on the court.
Reaves generated interest from numerous D-I programs as a four-star recruit, the second-highest rated player in Virginia and 74th overall ranked player in the country.
Reaves, who was recruited heavily by Penn State head coach Patrick Chambers, decided to commit to play for the Blue and White on full scholarship.
"It was just a different feeling," Reaves said. "I made a different connection with the assistants and I made a different connection with the head coach."
The rest was history.
"I couldn't have imagined myself in another jersey," Reaves said.
Neither could the fans who come to the Bryce Jordan Center to see one of Reaves' high-flying one-handed dunks, perfectl- timed passes or the intensity with which he approaches his defensive assignments.
Reaves is often considered the Nittany Lions' "glue" guy, the one who helps make everything work. He has filled multiple roles as a scorer, rebounder and even point guard. He was also an integral part of Penn State's NIT championship team in 2018, averaging 13.4 points per game. He pulled down 6.7 rebounds per game in the Big Ten Tournament and made the game-winning basket over Ohio State in the quarterfinals.
A member of the 2018 Big Ten All-Defensive Team, Reaves has made his biggest impact on that end of the court. He has led the Big Ten Conference for two consecutive years in both total steals and steals per game. He is currently atop the league list again in 2018-19 with 66 steals, 21 more than the next player.
Reaves also currently sits third all-time in Penn State program history in steals with 236, needing just three steals to tie Monroe Brown (1989-92) for second place.
After having some self-doubt about his future with the game of basketball years ago, Reaves now reflects back on his decision to continue to play and grind through all the hardships he encountered.
"It was a really hard time just learning how much patience I could have and the willingness I had to learn and study," Reaves said.
"I figured out a piece of who I was and it's something that I'm glad I went through. It was a learning experience and I've grown as a person."
When asked what he would want his father, mother, brother, or anyone else to say about him when it's all said and done and his collegiate basketball career has concluded, he didn't hesitate to answer.
"That I played hard. Give it everything I had. I did everything I could for this university the past four years to put myself in the position to be successful and put myself in the position to graduate. That's a really important part for me.
"I just want to be proud."
