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Andrew Reed has stepped in as the Rams' new big man.
By STEVE LEE, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 25, 2002
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Andrew Reed had some pretty big shoes to fill at the start of the season.
The graduation of 6-foot-10 center Donny Lotz and 6-5 forward Joe Anders left a void in the Rams' middle.
But Reed is the Rams' new big man in the middle in just his first varsity season. The Ridgewood post player is the county's leading rebounder and his team's third-leading scorer. The sophomore averages 9.8 rebounds and 9.8 points per game.
But that's not the best part.
Reed, coaches say, is going to get even better.
"I think he's a phenomenal talent," Gulf coach Steve Feldman said. "He's got so much upside it's scary."
"He gets better each day," added Ridgewood coach Gary Anders. "I'm not sure if he's a diamond in the rough, but I think his potential is untapped so far."
Reed worked his way up from the freshman team to the junior varsity squad last season and was called up for one game, the Rams' district tournament loss to Land O'Lakes in which he played the final 15 seconds and snagged one rebound.
"I thought it was a big accomplishment," Reed said of his rise up the Rams' ladder.
Replacing Lotz and Anders, the coach's son, Reed said, "is a lot of pressure. But I deal with it pretty well. I just play game-by-game and listen to the coach."
Reed got off to a slow start, but in the past 10 games has reached double figures in rebounds eight times and scored in double figures in five of the past eight games.
Joe Hopper, who coached Reed this summer on the West Pasco Predators team that reached the Youth Basketball of America national championship game, is hardly surprised about Reed's development.
"When I first got him, he was a tall, skinny, shy kid," Hopper recollected. "He never played in competition like (YBOA and Amateur Athletic Union club teams) before."
Reed was outplayed in several early games last summer, Hopper said, adding that Reed "fought and got better with each game. A lot of kids may have quit, but he just kept working."
"He pushed me hard," Reed said of Hopper.
Hopper and Anders agree that Reed is the consummate team player, something Reed said really sank in while playing YBOA games.
"We really couldn't win the game without the whole team," Reed said.
Anders was all for Reed honing his skills in the summer league.
"I think any time kids play on different teams or in different scenarios, it's bound to help them out," Anders said. "When he got done playing this summer, he made some real strides."
Reed also has made strides in the height department. He played at 6-foot-5 this summer and now measures 6-6 and 186 pounds ... and growing.
"His coordination, because he's so young and big, is just starting to come around," Anders said. "He's been playing a lot on instinct and natural ability."
Yet, for all of his success on the court and guys like Hopper dubbing him a Division I prospect, Reed realizes he is not in school to just play basketball.
"School comes first before basketball," said Reed, who carries a 3.8 grade-point average, is considering a career in architecture and is broadening his horizons with Leadership Pasco.
With the leadership group, Reed has visited hospitals and viewed inmates in county jails.
"It's very different from school," he said. "The speakers tell you what's going on in the real world."
"He's a very level-headed kid," Anders said. "He's a very good student and he's a good kid. That just adds to his potential.
"He's got his priorities in order."
And as one of the tallest players on the court, Reed knows what takes priority.
"Rebounding is a big key, and defense," Reed said. "You can't win a game without defense."