Penn State men’s basketball guard Josh Reaves is off to the NBA after signing a two-way deal with the Dallas Mavericks early Friday morning.

.@Penn_State’s Josh Reaves (@jreaves23), @B1GMBball 2019 Defensive POTY will ink two-way contract with @dallasmavs! https://t.co/1rXtNJurOo #ClimbWithUs #MFFL

— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) June 21, 2019

The defensive stalwart will join the Mavericks for the NBA’s Summer League, which is slated to begin on July 5. Reaves is a versatile player who could potentially add value on both ends of the floor if he makes Dallas’ roster for the regular season.

“This means so much to me, knowing all the hard work I have put in throughout middle school, high school and college, it’s all paying off,” Reaves said in a release. “I went into all my workouts with the mentality of putting my head down and showcasing my abilities and how I developed over time. I know it’s not the end of the journey; I know the hard work is not going to stop by any means. I’m really blessed to have this opportunity and going to try to make the most of it.”

Reaves scored an average of 8.9 points, chipped in 2.6 assists, and grabbed three rebounds per game throughout his college career, but he really stood out on the defensive side of the ball. He posted 250 career steals — an average of 2.1 per game — in four college seasons while consistently being matched up with other teams’ top players.

The guard is the only player in Big Ten history to lead the conference in steals for three straight seasons, and he earned his fair share of awards for it. He was named to the conference’s all defensive team in each of the past two seasons before earning the conference’s defensive player of the year award in 2019.

“There has never been any question in my mind that Josh could play at the professional level,” head coach Pat Chambers said in a release. “He has the athleticism, skills and mindset to be a contributor for any team and have a long and prosperous career. We’re extremely proud of him.”

With Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins set to return to Happy Valley, Reaves is one of just two significant departures from Penn State’s 2018-19 roster. Fellow guard Rasir Bolton transferred to Iowa State after a promising freshman season in Happy Valley.

In 2018-19, the Nittany Lions went 14-18 and were bounced out of the Big Ten tournament by Minnesota in the second round. Pat Chambers’ squad couldn’t overcome a nightmare 0-10 start to conference play and failed to qualify for either major postseason tournament.