Sports
 

Reeves finally gets his shot put to use

Sophomore shot putter now has attention he deserves with Houston track team

by Tom Carpenter
The Daily Cougar

For sophomore thrower Johnathon Reeves, choosing a college turned out to be a case of, "Be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it."

The 6-3 Houston native graduated from Stephen F. Austin high school as the three-time defending state champion shot putter. Reeves athletic prowess made him a target of the crème de la crème in college track and field, and he was heavily recruited by Division I schools.

The technological logistics sophomore picked the University of Arkansas, the winner of a record 38 national track and field and cross country championships.

"They promised a lot. You know, you can win NCAA titles, throw 70 feet and get a ring at the same time. It just seemed like they had a lot of experience with national level athletes, and they'd know how to handle me," Reeves said. "I talked with (assistant coach Dick Booth) there. He had a bunch of throwers in his first years at Arkansas that could throw 64 to 66 feet. From his record in the past he had a good resume."

But it wasn't long before Reeves got lost in the Razorback's national title shuffle.

"Not to put down Arkansas in any way, but my throwing coach also coached the long jump, triple jump, pole vault and high jump," Reeves said. "It was kind of hard to work around his schedule."

To complicate matters, the Arkansas coach decided that if Reeves was going to break the hallowed 70-foot barrier that separates champions from challengers, Reeves needed to change his throwing technique.

"They were looking a little bit too much toward the future of me being a 70-footer than what I'm doing right now," Reeves said. "The technique they wanted me to do just didn't agree with me."

Uncertain, but willing to try, Reeves followed his coach's advice.

"When you have a coach with no other throwers, you just have to go on his word. You have to go with what he says, or you'll be alone," Reeves said. "You have to put some trust into a coach. You can give input, but you have to put your thoughts to the side and have faith in what he's saying."

The experiment failed miserably, and Reeves spent a lot of time thinking before he made a decision to approach legendary Arkansas head coach John McDonnell.

"I sat down with Coach McDonnell, one of the best coaches in the world, hands down." Reeves said. "We had a long talk about what's best for me. He was very reluctant to let me go somewhere else, but we both agreed I'd be better throwing with someone else."

Reeves, who holds the high school record for the shot put, which he set at Yeoman Field House, was familiar with the Cougar program.

"I'd been down here before. I met (assistant coach Will Blackburn) and he seemed like a nice guy," Reeves said. "I just didn't know much about him as a coach because he's fairly new.

"I remember the first time I saw Will. He was so excited. He was pumped up. He got me and he said, 'Let's go outside,' and we went out in the rain and started doing turns and stuff, getting all hot and sweaty in our dress clothes. Just then, I could see the fire in him, the dedication. I had a real good feeling. I had to go with my gut feeling, and it turned out to be for the best."

Under Blackburn's tutelage, Reeves captured second place in the Conference USA championship with a toss of 56-9.25.

"Another neat thing is when I'm throwing I'll have (Kyle Tellez) and (Leroy Burrell), all them come over from their events to watch me and tell me what I can do," Reeves said. "It's really nice to see the head coach and all the coaches have an interest in what you're doing. Every track meet I've gotten better and better. I just want to get back to where I was as a freshman.

"I love Houston. I have no regrets about Arkansas. It's just part of life. You make decisions, and you stick with them. I just feel like if I was with Will since I started it would be a different story. I'm so glad I'm here."

With the luxury of having Reeve's arm for two more years, the Cougars are glad he's here, too.