Feb. 2, 2010
TAMUCC vs UTA Game Notes 
By Josh Bowe for utamavs.com
ARLINGTON - Texas - Jordan Reves can make in impact. If he's on the court that is.
The freshman center has had his fair share of opportunities to help UT Arlington's size in the paint. Problem is, he can't stay on the court long enough. Foul trouble has left Reves only averaging 13.4 minutes per game.
That average is the lowest on the team for any regular rotational players. With Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coming to town Wednesday, Reves will need to stay on the court for as long as possible.
"It takes some getting used to," Reves said of adjusting to the collegiate level. "They call some things differently. I just have to get used to how things work."
Reves, along with sophomore center Ishmael Awange, are the only two of three players listed at 6'10'' or taller on the Maverick's roster. The other, junior forward Trey Parker, has battled knee injuries and is just now returning to form.
The Islanders don't have a size problem to say the least. TAMUCC has five regular players down in the paint at 6'8'' or taller, led by junior forward Demond Watt. Watt averages 11.7 points and a team leading 8 rebounds per game.
Junior forward Tommy Moffitt has returned to the rotation. After playing marginal minutes in the win over Houston Baptist last week, Moffitt posted 13 points and five rebounds against Texas State on Saturday.
Coach Scott Cross just wants Moffitt to rebound, and rebound well now that he's back.
"He's just got to be focused on one thing when he goes out there, and that's grabbing rebounds," Cross said. "That's what we need him for."
Reves has been given the opportunity by Cross plenty of times to rebound along with Moffitt but the ball hasn't bounced his way.
Reves started the first three games of the season, but with consistent foul trouble, he conceded the job to Awange. He's played sporadicminutes since then with a sprained wrist keeping him out of Monday's game against Houston Baptist.
That hasn't prevented Reves from continuing to work on his game in practice however.
"I've been working on my rebounding and trying to hit people and box my man out," Reves said. "Hopefully with all that put together we wont have to worry about rebounding as much."
Senior guard Marquez Haynes said he knows what type of presence Reves can bring with his size. Reves and Awange are part of the few true centers in the conference that traditionally lacks any major size in the Southland
"They're getting a better grasp of the offense," Haynes said. "They could be game changers, they're just young. It's a process. We can't expect them to come in and have everything down."
Even with the lack of consistent playing time, Reves said he can't let anything keep him down and he has to maintain a positive attitude. The Mavericks will need all they can get against an Islander team many predicted would be best in conference and sit with a 5-1 Southland record.
"I just cheer on my team and keep them going," Reves said. "If I'm out there having a tough night with calls or making dumb fouls then I've got to pick my team up."
