EMERSON, Ga. – Twenty-three days ago, Jayden Reid was riding a 22-game winning streak, leading Long Island (N.Y.) Lutheran into the quarterfinals in pursuit of the GEICO Nationals title in Florida.
That dream fell short after the Crusaders fell to AZ Compass Prep 73-71; still, there was no rest for the weary after a coaching change at VCU derailed commitment plans for the 5-foot-10 senior point guard.
“I was committed to VCU, but then coach (Mike) Rhoades went to Penn State,” Reid said. “I was actually going to make the commitment public at GEICO Nationals, but then it happened. So here I am.”
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In order to enhance his options for next season, Reid decided to suit up with the PSA Cardinals (N.Y.) for the first two sessions of the Nike EYBL.
“I just want to continue to showcase what I’ve been doing all season,” said Reid, who checks in at No. 147 in the Rivals150. “I’m just playing my game and not trying to get out of character to prove a point. I feel like that’s when you mess up.”
That worked like a charm Friday night, posting 18 points and four rebounds to lead PSA past The Family (Mich.).
This season at LuHi, Reid averaged 14.3 points, a league-best 6.1 assists and 1.8 steals a game en route to being named to the all-NIBC Second Team and all-NIBC defensive team.
The NIBC is by far the most grueling conference in the country with heavyweights like Montverde (Fla.) Academy, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), AZ Compass Prep and Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Air, Kan.) just name a few.
“Oh my stock went up a lot just playing in the NIBC,” Reid said. “I definitely had better offers after playing in the league, for sure.”
The problem for Reid, aside from the obvious coaching change, is the plethora of options for college coaches in the transfer portal, which is currently home to more than 1,500 Division-I prospects.
“A lot of coaches are taking older, more experienced point guards or at least holding off and looking hard at them,” Reid said. “It makes it harder for guys like me, but it just means we’ve got more work to do.”
Reid finished up an official visit to Tulane earlier this week.
Also, new VCU coach Ryan Odom and his staff have begun to reach out more, plus Seattle, Rhode Island and SMU have upped their interest in Reid.
“My goal is to play these two sessions and see what schools I have offers from,” Reid said. “I have three official visits left, so I’ll probably take those and make a decision after that.”
Reid said he doesn’t feel the pressure to beat another prospect to an offer, despite coaches’ friendly reminders that recruiting is a business.
“They tell you straight up now,” Reid said. “For me, I’m not letting anyone rush me into a decision. I have to do my due diligence because it’s more than basketball for me. It’s not an ideal situation because most of the guys in my position are committed, but I’ve always had to work for what I get so I’m just having fun playing the game I love.”
