High school senior guard Erik Reynolds committed to the St. Joe’s men’s basketball team on Aug. 29 becoming the team’s first committ in the class of 2021.
Reynolds, who attends Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, chose St. Joe’s over Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Richmond, George Mason University and Xavier University. Due to COVID-19, Reynolds committed to St. Joe’s without visiting campus. However, he said he is confident in his decision because the coaching staff was devoted to recruiting him.
“I just looked at it as who was putting the most effort to show me how much they want me, and show what plans they have for me,” Reynolds said. “It’s about how well I can fit in at the school besides just basketball.”
Reynolds did take a virtual tour of campus, guided by the men’s basketball program.
“It was through Zoom, and they showed me different buildings,” Reynolds said. “They showed me where the library is, the dorm buildings, academic courses. It was difficult because I couldn’t get a real feel for it, but I tested it.”
Over the past year and a half, Reynolds has exploded onto the national recruiting scene. The recruiting platform 247Sports had Reynolds as the 70th ranked player in the class of 2021 Prospect Rankings at the time of his commitment. Since his commitment, 247Sports updated its rankings and now lists Reynolds as the 159 player in his class. For Reynolds, a player who played sparingly as a freshman to one that accumulated a dozen scholarship offers, his rise in talent throughout high school is a byproduct of increased confidence.
“My sophomore year was way better than my freshman year but then going into junior year, my confidence went through the roof,” Reynolds said. “I felt more comfortable with the ball and more comfortable making certain decisions.”
Bruce Kelley, varsity basketball coach at Bullis School, said when Reynolds was in middle school, he played with a collection of future Division I players. As a result, Reynolds was, according to Kelley, “just another guy” and not heavily recruited by the top basketball high schools in the Washington D.C. metro area. But, according to Kelley, his talent and potential were always evident.
“All [of the] sudden, he would just do something that catches your attention,” Kelley said. “He’s got this fast-twitched explosiveness that just shakes you out of your doldrums. He would make you say ‘Woah! If that kid could put it together, he could do it more often.’”
Another integral factor in Reynolds’ decision was his relationship with Assistant Coach Brenden Straughn. The two became familiar with each other, as both were a part of Team Takeover, a Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) AAU program in the Washington D.C. area. When Straughn joined the Hawks’ coaching staff last spring, he began to heavily recruit Reynolds.
“Knowing that I had someone here that I’m more than comfortable with was great,” Reynolds said. “And just knowing the type of community [St. Joe’s] is, based on how much information he gave me, made me even more interested.”
Kelley acknowledged that while Straughn was integral in building the relationship between Reynolds and St. Joe’s, Head Coach Billy Lange’s interest in Reynolds’ character set St. Joe’s apart.
“Coach Lange made Erik a priority, and he really cared about him as a human being. [He] cared about his growth as a man who’s going to be an eventual father and contributor to society,” Kelley said.
Matt Gifford, who operates the 247Sports basketball blog “Hawk Hill Hardwood,” agreed with Kelley’s viewpoint and contextualized Lange’s recruiting approach, in which he values recruits as both players and people.
“I do think a huge piece of this that’s probably worth mentioning is really every player that I’ve spoken with in terms of signing out of high school really stressed the fact that with Billy, they felt a human connection,” Gifford said.
Reynolds said another priority was choosing a program that fit his play style.
“The way I play, getting into the lane and creating shots for myself and my teammates could really help out what coach Lange wants to do for his offense,” Reynolds said. “The way he runs his offense gives me multiple gaps to create and do what I do best.”
Gifford said Reynolds’ commitment aligns with Lange’s vision to play an up-tempo game with many playmakers on the floor at the same time.
“You could expect to see a lineup that has [Greg] Foster, [Dahmir] Bishop and [Cameron] Brown, Erik Reynolds and Jordan Hall as your big guy, which is just a very perimeter-oriented team,” Gifford said. “But one that could do a lot of weird, fun things offensively, play some zone defensively and just run.”
Reynolds is eager to get on campus and experience what the St. Joe’s community has to offer.
“I just want to get up there and handle my business on the court and make friends and connections for life,” Reynolds said. “I want to call that place another home for me.”
