LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s basketball forward Reid Travis was named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award the organization announced on Friday. Honoring student-athletes who excel both on and off the court, the candidates must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence in community, classroom, character and competition to be eligible for the award.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Ten finalists will be named in February and placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote from fans, coaches and media. The winner will be announced during the 2019 NCAA Men’s Final Four in Minneapolis in April.
Travis graduated from Stanford University in June with a degree in science, technology and society before transferring to Kentucky as a graduate student this summer. He is enrolled in UK’s master’s program in health promotion with an emphasis in sport leadership. Travis is intrigued by career aspirations in technology entrepreneurship after his time in Silicon Valley.
While at Stanford, he served the Ronald McDonald house once a month, interacting with families and serving dinner. The Cardinal became close with one particular patient, Ty from Lake Tahoe, and the squad adopted him as a member of their team. Ty spent time at practices and games while getting treatment at Stanford. Additionally, Travis has been a mainstay as a volunteer alongside his mom, Jacqueline, at their hometown church in Minneapolis. He’s assisted her with setups and the organization of various meals and mass preparation.
While at Kentucky, he helps oversee the execution of UK’s God’s Pantry initiative as a part of his “Good Deeds” project. He is a part of the organization of stuffing bagged lunches and deliveries to local elementary schools. The entire team participated in Samaritan’s Feet in the Bahamas and worked with the Salvation Army at Thanksgiving.
A Minneapolis native, Travis was a three-year captain for the Cardinal and has proved to be an early vocal leader for the young Wildcats this season. Travis endured a redshirt season after suffering a left leg injury that halted his sophomore season. He overcame the injury to generate his two most productive campaigns during his junior and senior seasons at Stanford.
On the court, he is a two-time first-team All-Pac 12 selection. He was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District First Team and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-District team a season ago. Travis capped his career with the Cardinal having become one of just three players in program history to amass at least 1,400 career points and 700 rebounds in fewer than 100 games played. He ranked third in the Pac-12 in both scoring (19.5 points per game) and rebounding (8.7 rebounds per game) while scoring in double-figures in all but one game.
This season, Travis is averaging 13.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the 6-1 Wildcats. Both of those totals rank second on the team. He’s connecting on 62.2 percent of his field goals and 72.0 percent of his free throws, both of which would be career-best numbers. Just seven games into his career with UK, he’s blocked six shots, just one off from the most he’s had in a single season during his career.
The Wildcats return to action on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET inside of Rupp Arena. UK will take on UNC Greensboro and the game is set to air live on ESPN2.
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