Reaves rebounding well with Roughriders

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This article was published 11/06/2018 (2854 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jordan Reaves hit the lowest point in his life in 2017.

Prior to being one of the last players released by the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders last June, it became public that the former Brandon University Bobcats men’s basketball star was charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

With his athletic prospects and future up in the air, Reaves sank into a dark place.

The Winnipeg product described it as the most stressful time in his life. He could only sleep for about half an hour before waking up for 20 minutes, falling back asleep and following the same cycle all night every night for two years. He continued working out at the gym and working on his football techniques, but the constant worrying about his future wore on him.

“Every time I dreamed, I had the exact same dream of being trapped somewhere, being chased somewhere,” Reaves said after practising with the Riders on Tuesday. “My mind was definitely not where it should have been and it was tough to overcome something like that, especially knowing my innocence and knowing I did nothing wrong, but still having to go through all of that. It was definitely a stressful time for me.

“My emotions changed, I’d be grumpy most days. If I was happy for a second I’d start thinking about everything going on and my mood would change immediately. I was a grumpy person to be around. My life, I just thought I had gotten it back together, I was on the right page and then that stuff happened and brought me to rock bottom.”

In January, his life finally started to turn around and now he’s hoping 2018 is the year of the Reaves family.

After a lot of support from his family — including his mother Brenda, brother Ryan and girlfriend Amber Balcaen, a NASCAR driver — got him through the rough period, Reaves’ life got back on track on

Jan. 24 when he was acquitted of the charges.

“As soon as I heard that verdict of all charges acquitted, my chest just pumped up about four inches,” he said. “I had so much weight off my shoulders. That night was the best sleep I ever had.”

Things have only gotten better for Reaves since then. He realized that he spent so much time every day at the gym — averaging about five hours — and had picked so many personal trainers’ minds that he decided to become a trainer himself in Winnipeg. It really started when he was working out with a group of friends and other people in the gym wanted to join in their workouts.

Then came the National Hockey League playoffs. Reaves’ brother Ryan had a fantastic run to the Stanley Cup final with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, which included beating the Winnipeg Jets in the conference finals. Reaves couldn’t have been more proud of his brother, a former Brandon Wheat King, and showed it every day.

“He did crazy in the playoffs. He had some big plays, big goals,” Reaves said. “He’s a big reason they made it to the Stanley Cup final. You can ask any one of my teammates here, I was smiling the whole time. Half the time I couldn’t pay attention to football because I was so proud of him and what he was doing.

“I wore that (Vegas) Reaves jersey proud the entire series (against Winnipeg). I went to the gym with that on. I worked out with it on. As soon as I woke up, before I brushed my teeth I put that on. Me and my brother are best friends, so as soon as all that stuff happened for him, I felt like it was happening to me as well.

“People were asking me how I could wear a Reaves jersey. It was a crazy time in Winnipeg, I was probably the most hated person in Winnipeg.”

Reaves then got his big break. Less than a year after releasing him, Roughriders head coach Chris Jones called the six-foot-four, 240-pound defensive lineman and invited him to the team’s camp in Saskatoon.

Reaves, whose phone had died earlier in the day, got the message as he was sitting down to eat supper with friends. It didn’t take him long to say yes and get moving. He packed up his things and caught a plane 45 minutes later.

All his work for the last few years has paid off. Concepts clicked more for the 28-year-old, who hadn’t played football for more than a decade while he focused on basketball before returning to the sport in 2015, so that he understood things without having to be shown them first. His technique has greatly improved, he put on almost 20 pounds and he’s doing well in one-on-one drills.

He also understands his reads better and that if he does his job instead of trying to make the play every single time, then it’s better for the team and will help it win.

He works closely with defensive line coach Ed Philion and talks to veteran defensive ends Willie Jefferson and Charlston Hughes after every rep at practice for feedback.

The ultimate compliments he receive come from his teammates when they ask about his past.

“Every new player talks to me and goes ‘So, where did you play your ball?’ and I go ‘I went to Brandon. I played basketball,’” Reaves said. “‘Oh, where did you play football after?’ ‘I went to Europe and then I went to football. I haven’t played football since I was 15 other than these past two years.’

“It’s nice hearing when I tell people that and they go ‘Man, I couldn’t tell that. If you didn’t tell me that, I’d have never known.’ That means I’ve been working on my craft and I fit in finally.”

Reaves believes he will be pushing for a spot on the 42-man roster for almost every game this year, including Friday’s season opener against the visiting Toronto Argonauts.

He is focusing a lot on his special teams play and has been put out at gunner and corner on the kick teams. His size and speed make him a mismatch at those positions.

Reaves was injury-prone in 2016 and only played five games. He said as long as he can prevent 300-pound players from rolling up on his knees then he should be healthier this season.

The always outgoing and happy Reaves, who started 79 of the 100 games in which he played with the Bobcats and finished his career with 945 points, 571 rebounds, 154 assists and 32 blocks, has always held himself to a high standard, and that will continue this year in Regina.

He’s not shy about what he’d like to accomplish in his second year in the league.

“I’m going to set my goals pretty high this season,” he said. “I expect a lot from myself. It doesn’t matter that I was out for a year. I am in my second year, fourth camp. I know a lot more. Going into pre-season, I wasn’t as nervous as I was excited because I’ve been through it three times already. My goal this year is to be the top two, top three special teams tackles on the team.”

» cjaster@brandonsun.com

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