Wisconsin basketball returning player profile: Nate Reuvers

While the official start date of the 2020-2021 college basketball season is still up for discussion, we here at Bucky’s 5th Quarter are champing at the bit for hoops to start and have decided to get our returning player profile series going again. Over the next two weeks we will profile all of the returning players and then the week after that we will profile all of the incoming freshmen on the team.

Up today in B5Q’s returning player series is big man Nate Reuvers.

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Position: forward/center

Height: 6-foot-11

Year: senior

Hometown: Lakeville, Minn. (Lakeville North)

Recruiting info: class of 2017, 4-star small forward by both 247 Sports and Rivals; offers from Clemson, Creighton, DePaul, Minnesota, NC State, Northwestern and Washington State among many others.

2019-20 statistics: started all 31 games, averaged 26.2 minutes per game, 13.1 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game, and recorded 56 blocks.

Career statistics: 93 games played with 80 starts, averaged 8.8 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, and has 144 total blocks.

Player overview: Nate Reuvers originally entered his freshman season with the intention of redshirting, but that changed rather quickly, as the stretch forward’s offensive skill and size was needed due to some early struggles from the team. Since that decision, Reuvers has firmly become one of the better players on the roster, and has gradually improved his strength and physicality over the course of his career.

Last season, Reuvers was tasked with going up against some of the best big men in the entire country, with how strong the B1G was, but he was extremely productive on each end of the court. In fact, last year Reuvers went ahead and put together his best season on campus. Not only did he lead the team in points with over 13 per game, but he also averaged nearly two blocks per game, establishing himself as a strong rim protector for the Badgers.

Reuvers was particularly reliable for Greg Gard last season, scoring in double figures in 24 of the team’s 31 games, including breaking the threshold of 20 points three times. Now entering his final season in Madison, Reuvers currently ranks No. 4 all-time in career blocks, and should also continue to be one of the team’s primary scoring threats.

Role on 2020-21 team: With a senior laden team returning this season, the Badgers figure to be one of the primary contenders in the Big Ten title race. A big reason for title contention is Nate Reuvers. He is not only an inside-out scoring threat for Wisconsin, but he made significant gains on the defensive end of the court last season.

Reuvers will undoubtedly maintain his starting role, and he will likely continue to be one of the top scorers on the team as well. With some young, talented, front court players joining this year — and a full season with Micah Potter — Reuvers might be able to lessen his workload a bit in order to stay fresh during the season though. With talented forwards like Kofi Cockburn, Luka Garza and Trevion Williams back for another season, Reuvers will be one of the most important players on the roster, and keeping him healthy will be paramount.