Kansas center Christian Reeves (32) turns for a shot over Pittsburg State forward Lucas N'Gombo (6) during the first half on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Friday’s Late Night in the Phog served as the introduction to Allen Fieldhouse for a variety of new Jayhawks, but for Christian Reeves it was also his first opportunity to play real basketball — while healthy — in quite some time.

The 7-foot-2 center battled a shoulder injury all through last season at Charleston, averaging 11.1 points and 7.8 rebounds for the Cougars all the same, and continued to do so for much of the summer in Lawrence after undergoing offseason surgery.

In his first action as a Jayhawk on Friday against Division II Pittsburg State, he looked perhaps even better than in recent practices, according to KU coach Bill Self: “I think tonight he (played with) both hands above his head, getting hit, not nervous of hurting himself — I thought tonight was the best that he’s looked.”

“It was fun getting out there and playing, first game since March of last year,” Reeves said, “so it was fun getting out there with the guys and I enjoyed it, and Allen’s super fun to play in.”

Reeves was physical around the rim, used his length to alter the Gorillas’ shots and made himself a consistent presence on the glass, to the point that he racked up a double-double in a mere 12 minutes of action.

“I thought he was our best player,” Self said. “I just didn’t want to put him in (later on), just because he hadn’t been out there. After he got tight, probably, after he started the second half, I thought his night was good enough he could be done.”

Asked postgame how it felt to be back to 100%, Reeves said he had put in plenty of work and continues to do so, “so it feels good, but you still got to keep working.” But teammate Tre White offered his own perspective on Reeves’ state: “Fourteen and 10 in (12) minutes,” he said, “you’re feeling good.”

Pitt State may have been a lower-division foe, but it wielded some legitimate size in 7-footer Charles Caporaso, a former Division I player at Jacksonville who had 11 points and eight rebounds on Friday. Jeff Boschee, the former KU sharpshooter whon now serves as Pitt State’s head coach, noted that teams like Florida and Michigan have had success with lineups featuring multiple big men, and added, “I think that alleviates some of the things that KU probably needed from last year.”

“The Reeves kid, probably better than I thought,” Boschee said. “Just a space eater, and I feel like he’s got pretty good hands. I mean, he’s a load. I mean, Charles in practice dominates every day in practice, and Charles had trouble getting around him.”

The center position was a subject of some offseason intrigue when KU managed to retain last season’s backup Paul Mbiya and then brought in Reeves — a former reserve at Duke and Clemson — to compete. The late-stage addition of White at forward had a chance to shift the Jayhawks more toward a small-ball lineup with forward Keanu Dawes in the post, but Self said on Thursday that he sees that as more of a periodic, situational choice in the near term.

So Reeves got the start on Friday in KU’s unofficial opener. And while his numbers (he also had four blocks) impressed, KU’s centers may not ultimately be judged on their statistical output.

“Our big guys aren’t scorers yet,” Self said. “So the way they help their team is screening and rebounding and that stuff, and who can become really efficient at that. We can look at points, and that’s not how you’re going to score against Louisville and Duke, so you got to be a screener and a rebounder and that stuff.”

There will indeed be a much larger challenge ahead of Reeves and the Jayhawks on Wednesday at 6 p.m., when they welcome former KU forward Flory Bidunga, 7-foot-2 freshman center Obinna Ekezie Jr. and the Louisville Cardinals to Allen Fieldhouse.