Boston College men’s basketball center Johncarlos Reyes has experienced it all on the Heights: A season-ending injury, a historically bad 0-18 ACC campaign, a rebuild involving two NBA players, an upset of the No. 1 team in the country, and the school’s first postseason appearance in seven years. But now the 6-foot-10 center is moving on.
On Friday night, Reyes—the longest tenured Eagle—announced on Twitter that he is transferring to Nevada for his final year of eligibility, two weeks after entering the transfer portal.
The Suwanee, Ga. native was the only remaining player from BC’s infamous 2015-16 team, a group that contracted norovirus and went winless in league play. Reyes missed out on the majority of that season, however, due to a foot injury that sidelined him for the final 25 games of the year. Before going down, he appeared in seven contests and even made one start, logging his lone career double-double against Massachusetts Lowell.
As a redshirt freshman, Reyes took a backseat to the likes of Mo Jeffers, Connar Tava, and Nik Popovic in the frontcourt, averaging just 6.4 minutes per game in 21 appearances. The big man bookended 2016-17 with his two best performances of the season, scoring six points in BC’s opener against Maryland Eastern Shore and then tallying 10 in the Eagles’ ACC Tournament loss to Wake Forest.
Reyes’ scoring outburst against the Demon Deacons—a game in which Ky Bowman left early with a right leg injury—was just the first of a handful of instances where the center provided much-needed depth for head coach Jim Christian. Perhaps his most notable outing, though, came in the conference tournament the following year.
Popovic was in the middle of another impressive offensive showing during BC’s second round matchup victory over North Carolina State when he tweaked a muscle in the lower half of his leg, hopping off the court with one leg late in the first half. Given that freshman Luka Kraljevic was out with a concussion, it was Reyes’ time to shine. He more than made the most of the opportunity. Playing what was probably the best game of his career, the backup center scored seconds out of the injury timeout and ended up going 5-of-5 from the field, making an impact even after Popovic returned to the game.
This past year, Reyes started a career-high five games amid an injury-riddled Eagles season, and like most of his career, had his fair share of ups and downs. The redshirt junior finished the year shooting 61.9 percent from the field, but he averaged just 1.9 points per game. With the exception of a 15-point scoring surge in the first round of the First Myers Tip-Off—Reyes’ career high—the big man’s scoring presence was limited. That said, he still filled the void down low when Kraljevic, Popovic, and Steffon Mitchell missed time.
Reyes has always struggled with turnovers, and he’s a poor free throw shooter, but he can cut to the basket, run the pick and roll, and protect the rim. The graduate transfer might not be consistent, but he has the potential on any given night to give Nevada a boost off the bench.
Reyes is now the biggest player on the Wolf Pack’s roster—he matches the height of K.J. Hymes, but outweighs the freshman forward by four pounds. His role has yet to be determined, but for a team like Nevada that lost eight seniors this offseason, a class that guided the school to three straight NCAA Tournaments, Reyes will at the very least offer experience and valuable leadership.
Featured Image by Jonathan Ye / Heights Editor
