By JACOB POLACHECK
Tarris Reed, the 6-foot-10, 230-pound power forward from Chaminade (MO), said Sunday evening that six schools are making him a priority.
“I would have to say Michigan State, Ohio State, Nebraska, Kansas State Mizzou and Creighton,” he said by phone.
Reed broke down each school:
Michigan State: “They offered me through a Zoom call. Two weeks prior, coach [Tom] Izzo and coach [Mike] Garland were talking to me, communicating with me heavily. They want me as a four man that could space the floor and dominate down low. I see myself fitting well within their program.
Ohio State: “Same with Ohio State. Coach [Chris] Holtmann and coach [Terry] Johnson had a Zoom call with me and offered. They saw me as a four man that can space the floor, dominate down low and come off of pick-and-pop, pick-and-rolls to really facilitate on the offensive side.”
Nebraska: “Coach [Fred] Hoiberg, I really like his style of play. He’s coming from the NBA so he knows a lot. He’s seen a lot and he’s a very experienced coach. I like the way he really focuses on his shooting. That’s one of the aspects where, as a big man/power forward, I really see myself developing, shooting the three, shooting off the dribble and shooting the mid-range. That’s an area of my game that I really see myself coming in. With Nebraska and coach Hoiberg focusing on the shooting aspect, that’s where I can fit in really well.”
Kansas State: “They offered me at the beginning of my sophomore year. They came to an open gym to see me play. They’re really interested in me. They see me as the four or five man and being able to catch and shoot off down screens. They see me as someone who can create off the dribble and dominate down low in the paint. I see myself liking Kansas State a lot. They’ve been in contact with me. I’m texting with coach [Chris] Lowery every day and communicating with him.”
Missouri: “That place is very close to home. I wouldn’t mind seeing myself at some place like Missouri, close to home and convenient for my family. I’ve been talking to coach [Cuonzo] Martin and coach [Chris] Hollender. They held a Zoom call with me two weeks ago. We were really just talking about their offense and style of play. They were showing me some clips from previous seasons and showing me clips of Jontay Porter. They want me to be able to shoot, create on the bounce and have the ability to post up when there’s a mismatch.”
Creighton: “Coach [Greg] McDermott has been in contact recently, but we haven’t had a Zoom call. He hasn’t spoken to me yet about how he sees me fitting into the offense. I see myself fitting in the offense as a low-post, mid-post, perimeter guy that can be a threat on the outside and the inside in the paint.”
Among. the six schools, Reed has taken unofficial visits to Nebraska and Missouri.
He visited Nebraska last September for the Ohio State vs. Nebraska football game.
“It surprised me a lot,” he said of his Nebraska visit. “Going to Nebraska, I thought it was going to be a lot of empty cornfields. I thought it would be a small college, but it really surprised me. They have state of the art new facilities. Everything is new.”
He also visited Mizzou for thier football matchup against South Carolina on Sept. 21, 2019.
“I was able to talk to coach Martin and coach Hollander,” he said. “I got a full campus tour. They introduced me to a lot of their campus and I really enjoyed myself.”
Moving forward, Reed says he’s being very ‘cautious’ with the visits he takes.
“I have to listen to coaches and really pay attention to the school that fits me,” he said. “I want to go to a school with a great environment, great academics, great facilities and a great coaching staff. Going on these visits, I really have to be careful and pay attention to what I observe.
Reed says he also wants an environment that is safe.
I want an environment and a school that’s safe for me and comfortable for my parents,” he said. “I want my parents to be able to trust the coaches and trust the school that they’re going to be able to take care of me. For me, I want to be able to trust the coaches and trust that the coaches will push me to my max potential and to where I want to go, which is the NBA.”
Ranked by 247Sports as the No. 16 power forward in the Class of 2021, Reed describes himself as a hybrid power forward/center.
“I’m working on stretching my range, being able to shoot deeper threes. I want to be able to shoot from the college/NBA level range,” he said. “I can create off the dribble. I can shoot. I bring a strong defensive and post presence. I’m working on my ball handling so I can be more of a threat on the perimeter.”
Individually, Reed says he wants to average 20 points, 10 assists and six assists per game on 60 percent field goal shooting. He also wants to shoot 90 percent from the free-throw line and 30 percent from three-point range.
“As a team goal, the one thing I need and want is a state championship,” he said.
Off the court, Reed has a passion for music, as he has been playing the baritone saxophone for nearly seven years.
“That’s one of my hobbies that I like to do outside of basketball,” he said. “When I tell people this, they ask surprised and shocked, but that’s one thing that I love playing, the saxophone. I’m very interested in it.”
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