Brian Boesch, the voice of play-by-play for Michigan basketball, has turned his Defend the Block podcast into a must-listen. Over the past few weeks, he’s been talking to each one of the new students. On Tuesday, Tallis took his lead turn to lay out this wonderfully candid answer about his career so far, his strengths and weaknesses, and why he committed to Michigan.
“I wanted to go to another school at the time, so I wasn’t sure if it was the right decision,” Reed said. “It was a difficult decision to make. But looking back on it now, I’m okay. I need to write down my strengths and weaknesses. Which school, coaching or long-term, is best for me? In Michigan.” I’m glad I made that decision, it’s been a lot of fun playing under Coach Howard and just training every day.”
Highlighting the strengths part of his list of strengths and weaknesses, he said: You can come in and learn from one of the best players in college basketball. I can play with him and compete with him in practice. “
Michigan covered Reed’s commitment to a herd of Big Ten schools, including: Michigan, Ohio and Purdue. The Missouri native said the 6-foot-10 freshman never intentionally sought out a school dominated by the Big 10. Furthering his hiring process, he realized his skill set had to be right for his basketball in the Big Ten.
A four-star recruit and ranked 40th in the nation in his class, Reed plays a bruised, physical brand of basketball that definitely fits the mold of the Big Ten.
Reed also talked about his adjustment to college so far, especially with regards to his need to shoot big game.
“Shooting is important, but defense has to be pretty aggressive,” Reed said. “I was talking to Sandman[strength and conditioning coach John Sanderson]the other day and he said defensively, you can turn off the pick and roll, you can turn off 1, 2, you can guard the wing, you can play offensively. Not only the side became aggressive ‘but also the defender. It’s one of the things that I feel he’s really good at, especially the ball he’s good at covering screens. “
Finally, Reid talked about how he likes to relax and get away from basketball. During the pandemic he played the saxophone for his grandma.
Reid’s infectious personality certainly shined through during interviews, and he seems likely to become a fan favorite in Ann Arbor.
