Gators In Final Six Schools For Top ’21 Target Kowacie Reeves Jr.

This past week Florida was named in the top six schools for Kowacie Reeves Jr., exciting yet expected news considering he has been their top target in the 2021 class since 2018 when they first offered him. The combo guard from Macon, Georgia has been steadily rising in the rankings since those days when Florida offered him in 2018 and he’s currently the 67th ranked player according to composite recruiting rankings, though it’s worth noting that multiple outlets have him as a top-40 player.

There are multiple aspects to Reeves’ game that make him an intriguing target and one that the Gators desperately want. When he entered the scene as a high school sophomore his basketball IQ jumped off the page immediately and his ability to get where he wanted on the floor with the dribble made him stand out immediately. More than either of those traits it was shooting that really got him attention and he was known to the consensus as the best shooter in the 2021 class.

Oh, and that was back when he was 6’2” before a growth spurt. He’s now 6’6”.

For arguably the best shooter in the class to be 6’6” you can see why so many teams and recruiting services are high on him, and it’s not like he lacks for athleticism either. YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter are all loaded with highlights of him playing above the rim in transition and when you watch full game film of him you see him getting into a stance and locking down elite scorers on the other end.

Reeves has also made a name for himself in the classroom where his grades earned him offers from the best academic institutions in the country, as well as some of the best basketball programs. Academics will certainly play a role in his decision, something that hopefully adds to the pitch from Florida.

Clemson, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Stanford, Georgia, and Florida are the teams that made the final cut for Reeves’ services. In his tweet announcing his final schools Reeves also mentioned that he would be committing soon, something that matches word surrounding his recruitment that he’d like things to be wrapped up by the spring.

Florida is considered one of the leaders here and should have a great chance of landing him. They were the first team to see his potential and were his first offer (not even the first high major team, literally the first school to offer him) and he has had the tweet announcing that Florida offered him pinned to his Twitter account (the tweet at the top of his profile that is the first thing you see, for you non-Twitter users) ever since May 7th, 2018. Check for yourself, it’s still there.

Landing Reeves would be huge for the Gators in kicking off their 2021 class for a couple of reasons. First of all, he’s a tremendous pure talent and getting that early would make you feel good about whoever follows. Not only is he a great talent but he would give the Gators something that they have really needed on the roster recently and that’s versatility. Reeves can play on the ball as a pick and roll ball handler or he can play off the ball as a shooter. He can guard the other team’s point guard or he can play the wing and even switch onto bigger forwards and battle. Reeves is also a kid with a tremendous personality that I’m sure any other recruit that Florida targets would want to play with.

Kowacie Reeves has been one of Florida’s top targets for nearly two years now so this is the biggest recruiting race to follow right now. It’s likely he’ll set a decision date soon, so keep it locked.

The image for this article was provided by Hype South Media back in 2018 when I first interviewed Kowacie Reeves Jr., a scouting and basketball news outlet owned by Kowacie Reeves Sr. that covered all things hoops in middle Georgia, and it’s absolutely a website to check out if you love recruiting.

Eric Fawcett
Eric is a basketball coach and writer from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His work has been found at NBA international properties, ESPN, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Lindy's and others. He loves zone defenses, the extra pass, and a 30 second shot clock. Growing up in Canada, an American channel showing SEC basketball games was his first exposure to Gator hoops, and he has been hooked ever since. You can follow him on Twitter at @ericfawcett_.