News recently came along with the start of the school year, which was the arrival of new student and basketball player Collin Reed to DGN.
With the season just starting several weeks ago, Reed is certainly already showing basketball fans why he’s a force to be reckoned with on the court.
The 6’3” guard has turned many heads so far this season, and already seems to be one of the key players in the DGN lineup along with Semaj Henderson and Trey Boston.
Last year as a junior for Plainfield East, Reed averaged 9.1 points per game, 3.7 rebounds per game, and 1.7 assists per game, leading the team to finish 17-11 in the regular season.
Richard Struck, the head basketball coach for Plainfield East, worked with Reed for the duration of Reed’s time at Plainfield East.
Struck spent many hours of practice and game time learning about the type of player Reed is.
“Collin effects the game in several ways. He can defend the full length of the floor, he excels in transition, and he has a natural IQ and passion for the game,” Struck said.
His ability to be a quiet but effective leader on the team was noticed by Coach Struck during Reed’s freshman season at Plainfield East causing Reed to be promoted to a varsity player.
“Collin was brought up to varsity as a freshman, which required him to have to become the natural leader that he is, both on and off the court. He is quiet but he is attentive, and he leads by example more than he does with his voice,” Struck said.
During games and practice, Reed’s calm and focused personality shined through.
Being humble and having good sportsmanship were some of the traits that made Reed the starting varsity player he was for Plainfield East.
“Collin is a humble, good-hearted kid who loves winning. He works his tail off, day in and day out and you won’t hear him utter a word about it,” Struck said.
Playing the guard position, Reed is expected to not only master the mid-court, but also be the quickest and most agile on defense.
Some of the most important traits to have as a defensive basketball player include the ability to guard the opposition’s best player and be able to work extremely hard; skills that Collin has shown to possess.
DGN assistant coach Jon Rush thinks that, through his observations so far this season, Reed’s best aspects revolve around his defensive abilities.
“He’s guarding the other team’s best player every night, which is something he takes upon himself. That then allows some of our other guys like Ilyavi, Boston, and Henderson to get going on the offensive end,” Rush said.
Some of the most important traits to have as a defensive basketball player include the ability to guard the opposition’s best player and be able to work extremely hard; skills that Collin has shown to possess.
Reed currently averages 12.8 points per game so far this season, but Rush, along with head coach Jim Thomas, believe that Reed’s numbers thus far do not reflect his full skillset.
“It shows a lot that he can still score around 13 points per game and still guard the other team’s best player every time, so if maybe he wasn’t taking so much of the load on defense he could get his stats up more on offense,” Rush said.
As of December 11, the Trojans are 7-0, and, although it is still early in the season, seem to be looking primed and ready for a deep postseason run in the spring. their next game is Friday, December 21, against York at 7:30 p.m.