by Brett Pierce
Bruinsball.com
Published on 10-20-2011 12:00 AM
Here is a Bruinsball.com exclusive interview with UCLA Junior Forward, Reeves Nelson.
How was your offseason?
Reeves Nelson: It was good. Right after last season ended, just took like a week or two off taking it easy and then from that point on I pretty much hit the gym all day every day, 7 days a week.
How hard was it being so close to beating Florida and then coming up short? A few more breaks and you guys would have won. Did coming so close put that much more of a drive in you?
Reeves Nelson: Yeah. Losing the way we did in a close game like that, I was obviously happy that we were in the game, but then to lose like that kind of hurts a little more than getting blown out or something like that. So, just knowing that a couple small things could make that much of a difference, made me work that much harder.
With the addition of the Wears, your frontcourt is pretty deep. Do you think you are going to be seeing more time at the 3 this season?
Reeves Nelson: Yeah, either me or David Wear will probably see a good amount of time at the 3 position. It’s not really gonna matter too much because Coach [Howland] says we’re gonna play 4 out, 1 in on our motion offense so pretty much, both wing positions will be the same whether you are the 3 or 4. I worked a lot of my free throws, getting ready to handle the position, so I think that will be good for our team.
So, are you the same weight/build as last season, or did you try to cut down so you can guard small forwards on other teams?
Reeves Nelson: I’m actually like 5 or 6 pounds less and I’m down to 5% body fat, so I trimmed down a little bit from playing so much and working out so hard.
Are we going to be seeing more outside shooting from you this year?
Reeves Nelson: Yeah, definitely. That’s one of the main things our team picked up was trying to become a lot more comfortable shooting the ball from the outside in a game situation. And from our first couple days of practice, Coach has definitely allowed me to do that so I look forward to being able to show that part of my game.
What are your individual goals for this season and what are your team goals?
Reeves Nelson: Individually… I really don’t have any individual goals for myself as far as [awards]. I just want to play as hard as I can and do everything I can to help our team win as many games as possible. Team, I think we definitely want to win the new Pac-12. I think we’re definitely capable of that and if we do that I think we have the potential to make a really deep run in March Madness. So that will be good.
Even though you lost Malcolm Lee and Tyler Honeycutt, do you think this team might be better than last year’s team? You guys definitely have more experience.
Reeves Nelson: I think that even though Malcolm and Tyler left, our team has a good amount of experience coming back and also the Wear twins being able to play, and De’End [Parker] and Norman [Powell] coming in. I think we are a deep team and a lot more experienced, so we can use that to our advantage.
What players over the offseason impressed you the most?
Reeves Nelson: I worked out a lot with Zeke [Lazeric Jones]. Me and Zeke, especially for the first half of summer, were pretty much in the gym together every day and every night. And then the Wear twins have impressed me. They are going to help us out a lot. And then Tyler Lamb I know made a lot of improvement. And then also Anthony Stover, he went to Vegas for like 6 weeks for like a camp type thing, and he improved a lot, especially offensively.
I then talked to Reeves about our mutual love for lead singer Jim Morrison and the band, The Doors.
How did you get into The Doors? That’s not a band most basketball players nowadays are listening to.
Reeves Nelson: I got into them from my Dad. And then once I got into high school I learned a lot about Jim Morrison and I read his biography, “No One Here Gets Out Alive.” Then I downloaded all of their music and then I just got really into it. I think [Jim Morrison] is one of the most genius people that has ever lived.
What is your favorite Doors song?
Reeves Nelson: I don’t know if I could pick just one. I like Roadhouse Blues, L.A. Woman, People Are Strange, Five to One, then obviously Break On Through, Riders on the Storm. I like all their songs.
Have you ever thought of getting a Jim Morrison quote as a tattoo?
Reeves Nelson: Well actually, nobody has really seen it yet, but I got a tattoo that basically I have headstones around my shoulder and inside the headstones I have Jimi Hendrix, Tupac, and Jim Morrison. There are little mini portraits of them inside [the headstones].
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