[lawrence-newsletter]Following the departure of Ethan Happ, Wisconsin forward Nate Reuvers was expected to take a major step forward this past season. The junior big man stepped up to the challenge on both ends of the floor. Reuvers improved his points per game average to 13.1, averaging nearly five more points than he did in 2018-19. Despite the increased role at the offensive end, the defensive end of the floor is where Reuvers has worked wonders in both his sophomore and junior campaigns. The Lakeville, Min. native has now had back-to-back seasons of averaging nearly two blocks per game, and with added muscle has become one of the Big Ten’s most prolific rim protectors.
Reuvers followed up his 60 blocks in 2018-19 with 58 this past season in a year that was cut short. Wisconsin’s leading scorer finished this season with 144 career blocks, just ten shy of Ethan Happ who holds the current Badger all-time record with 154.
The junior forward has also had some impressive single-game performances in terms of blocked shots, the most recent of which came when he matched a career-high with nine rejections against Eastern Illinois early in the year. Reuvers was one block away from a triple double in that early-season contest, and absolutely dominated a smaller EIU team with his size and athleticism on the defensive end.
Had this year finished out with what would have been at the very least two more games, but in all likelihood far more than that, Reuvers would have easily surpassed his 60 blocks from the 2019 season. With another full year under his belt, expect 2020-21 to be a senior finale where Reuvers not only captures Wisconsin’s all-time blocks record but sets the bar extremely high. All signs point towards the Badger big finishing his career with over 200 blocks and beating the all-time UW record by over 50 rejections. Stay tuned for Reuvers’ senior block party.