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Oklahoma's Austin Reaves will enter NBA Draft

The Sooners senior finished the season strong and tells ESPN it's "the best decision for my future"

John E. Hoover

Oklahoma senior Austin Reaves is moving on.

That’s according to a report Wednesday from ESPN.

“I have decided to declare for the NBA Draft and will be hiring an agent in the near future,” Reaves told ESPN. “My family and I believe this is the best decision for my future and I’m super excited for the next part of my journey.”

Reaves led OU in scoring (18.4 points per game), rebounds (5.5) and assists (4.6) during his senior year. He played for the Sooners for two seasons after sitting out a year following his transfer from Wichita State. His production earned him First Team All-Big 12 Honors for this past season.

According to ESPN, Reaves is the No. 40 overall prospect in this year’s ESPN 100 draft rankings.

“This season was definitely one to remember,” Reaves said.

Arguably Reaves’ best game came in the Sooners’ season-ending NCAA Tournament loss to Gonzaga, in which he scored 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting against No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga. He also had 23 points against Missouri in OU’s first-round victory — essentially carrying the Sooners’ scoring load while sophomore guard De’Vion Harmon was out with COVID.

Harmon previously announced his intentions to enter the NBA Draft.

Senior center Kur Kuath already announced he would not be returning to Norman to also pursue a professional career, but Alondes Williams and Brady Manek still have not announced their plans for the 2021-22 season at this time. 

Pair the departures to the professional ranks and the determinations by Trey Phipps and Anyang Garang to enter the transfer portal, and there will be plenty of turnover on the Sooners roster headed into the offseason.

The Sooners are also looking for a new coach after Lon Kruger announced his retirement last week.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.