Coach Wes Miller has been hot on the recruiting trail lately as the Cincinnati Bearcats officially start the 2021-22 season today with their first practice.
After landing Daniel Skillings last week, Coach Miller may be getting another wing this Friday in Pace Academy’s Josh Reed who will make his commitment on October 1st. Reed’s long list of offers include Boston College, Northwestern, Butler, South Carolina, and Georgia.
Reed visited the Cincinnati campus this past weekend and by all indications, he was impressed. Announcing his commitment date right after his visit is a huge positive for the Bearcats.
The Atlanta product has been a priority for the staff including assistant coach Chad Dollar. Dollar has deep connections in Georgia and throughout most of the south. Notably, he recruited 2020 NBA Draft #1 pick Anthony Edwards to Georgia.
With an offer list that includes Boston College and Northwestern, there’s no doubt that Josh Reed is a bright kid and that classroom IQ translates seamlessly to basketball IQ on the court. He attacks the basket relentlessly, drawing fouls and getting easy points at the line.
At 6’6, and 195 pounds, his strength allows him to finish in traffic often leading to three-point plays. Add all this to the fact that he has no problem attacking the boards, and I started to think of former Bearcat Titus Rubles as a player comp.
However, Reed’s jumpshot is much better than that of Rubles. Reed’s form might need a little work in terms of keeping his elbow in and forearm straight up and down, but you cannot disagree with the end result when the ball goes through the net. The ball comes off his hand with excellent rotation and a rainbow arc.
Reed has above average court vision for his position. In the half-court, he has no issue finding leading cutters with passes for easy buckets. Since he’s the best player on his team, he frequently brings the ball up and while he has made some impressive full-court passes, that is definitely not his game.
Like a lot of high-school wings, his handle will need to tighten up his handle in order to be a secondary or even tertiary ball-handler at the next level. The southpaw will also need to use his right-hand more when attacking the basket.
Although Reed can be devastating when going to his left, he frequently pulls up for jumpers when going to his right which could mean he isn’t as confident when going that direction. In Division I basketball, teams will game plan for that and do everything in their power in order to force him right.
All in all, Reed looks like he will be an immediate contributor wherever he goes with that combination of size, strength, and shooting. Let’s hope he picks the Cincinnati Bearcats this Friday.
JUNCTA JUVANT