Though this year will mark his first with the Green Wave, sophomore Sammis Reyes’ basketball career has already been a full one.

With his arrival at Tulane, the 6-foot-7, 240-pound forward has now played for three different college basketball programs since his days of averaging 24.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists at North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek, Florida. 

From representing an entire country on the Chilean national basketball team to tearing his ACL as a freshman at University of Hawaii, Reyes’ journey has seen both ups and downs.

Reyes, nonetheless, refuses to allow such adversity to dissuade him. Rather, the challenges he has overcome in both life and on the court have come to define him.

“Having to go through three different places like how I did has really shaped who I am as a person,” Reyes said. “I went to a junior college last year, so coming back to [Division 1] and seeing all the good things that we got really makes me appreciate every one of them.”

In addition to transferring schools, Reyes has had to persevere in spite of an ACL injury he suffered as a freshman.

“It was something really hard in my life to overcome,” Reyes said. “It took me a few steps back in my development as a player, but now I’m 100 percent ready to go, so I’m looking to leave that in the past and look forward to the future.”

Reyes’ experiences at both University of Hawaii and Palm Beach State Junior College have provided him with a perspective few other people his age could achieve. Even so, his objective for the upcoming season remains clear and concise.

“There’s only one goal, and that is just to win games,” Reyes said.

As for what drew him to select Tulane as his next destination after a successful year at Palm Beach State, Reyes explained that having a coach with decades of NBA experience like Mike Dunleavy, Sr. played an integral role in his choice.

“That was the first thing that I thought about when it came to making my decision,” Reyes said.

Although Reyes is a rookie as far as his tenure at Tulane is concerned, he carries with him the perspective and attitude of a veteran player. Having played on the Chilean national team since he was 13, Reyes possesses experience at the Federation Internationale de Basket-ball level.

Reyes’ aspirations extend far beyond the basketball court as he is also double-majoring in business management and marketing.

There is much to come for Reyes as he begins his career at Tulane. He is eager to don number 12 and represent the Wave on and off the court.