Davon Reed recovered from a flipped meniscus this season to return to play for Miami a month ahead of schedule.
The media notes for the University of Miami men’s basketball team’s Dec. 6, 2014 game against the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay described sophomore Davon Reed like this:
“Sidelined until at least Jan. with left lower extremity injury.”
Yet, that same day, there was Reed checking in for the Miami Hurricanes in the second half, hoping to spark his trailing team to a victory.
The Ewing native played eight minutes, took one shot and scored no points. Miami lost the game. Yet, the outing had people talking about it months later. Reed had shocked everyone except for himself.
Reed’s “left lower extremity injury” was a flipped meniscus in his knee, an injury that doctors said would require major surgery and four months of rehabilitation. Reed suffered it while stretching with a foam roller after a workout Sept. 2. No contact. No wear and tear. It just happened—pop!—and Reed found himself with his left leg locked at a 45-degree angle.
His mother, Rose, rushed from Ewing to Miami to be by her son’s side. He hobbled around the Miami campus with his leg stuck in place for two days, awaiting surgery Sept. 4.
Everyone from Miami men’s basketball head coach Jim Larrañaga to Rose Reed figured Reed’s sophomore season would be a wash. But Reed told his doctors he wanted to start rehab the next day, and promised his coach he’d be back by December.
By November, Reed had amazed the doctors, who said he had recovered faster than anyone they’d ever seen. Reed completed his rehab a month ahead of schedule, entered the Dec. 6 game against Green Bay and appeared in every game Miami has played since then.
The 2014-15 season hasn’t gone the way Reed had envisioned it—the freak injury, the death of a dear friend’s father and the on-court results themselves have all tested him. But, in a way, this year has allowed Reed to show everyone else what he already knew about himself.
His parents always emphasized humility, and would rebuke their son if they saw glints of cockiness or braggadocio escape. He belongs to Athletes in Action, a fellowship of Christian athletes. He quotes the Bible in his Twitter profile. He does his schoolwork, and was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s All-Academic first team for men’s basketball in March.
Reed describes himself as “humble and hungry.” But humble and hungry aren’t always teammates, and often hunger wins out, fueled by a plentiful reserve of confidence.
“I’m not content, but I’m happy,” Reed said. “I’m grateful for what I have, but I have so much more to show. I have so much more I’m capable of. I only see the sky as my limit.”
It’s confidence that pushed Reed to do what he could to recover from his injury quickly. But it’s also a confidence that will spur him occasionally to ignore the Miami coaching staff’s preference for simple, fundamental basketball to unleash a showy crossover, hesitation lay-up, as he did Feb. 28 against North Carolina. Though Reed left his defender in a heap on the hardwood en route to the bucket, he received muted praise from his head coach. Larrañaga could muster up enough enthusiasm only to call it “a play the fans love.”
But Larrañaga and many others are fans of Reed and his confidence precisely because that confidence has allowed Reed to feel comfortable as the guy in control, as Miami’s leader. It has allowed Reed’s talent to catch up to his promise. And the Hurricanes will take the fan-favorite plays from time to time as long as they come with everything else Reed has started to show them.
It’s a funny thing—this season may not have gone the way Reed or anyone at Miami would have hoped, but as of March 31, Miami was one of only eight Division I men’s basketball teams still playing meaningful games. The kind of games Davon Reed always knew he would play.
* * *
For his son’s 5th birthday, David Reed bought a regulation-sized basketball hoop, and installed it in the driveway of his Ewing home.
Davon Reed had been playing basketball since he was 3, and was tall for his age. But the 10-foot high rim was just too high for Reed to reach.
Rose Reed, fearing for her child’s confidence, begged David to lower the hoop.
“No, we’ll leave it as is,” David said. “He’ll grow into it.”
Pretty soon, a group of neighborhood kids started using the hoop. Reed was at least four years younger than the kids, but he joined their games anyway. They treated him as part of the crew.
From time to time, Rose would peek out of her kitchen window to check on her son. She’d witness Reed hitting the ground, time after time. These kids were twice Reed’s age, bigger, stronger and more experienced. They would knock him over, push him down and try to embarrass him as much as possible.
It didn’t faze Reed; he showed up every day. And after an afternoon of being knocked around, he’d walk in the house, say hello to Rose and act like nothing had happened.
During bath time, Rose would notice bruises, scratches and scrapes all over her son’s body. She’d point them out, and ask Reed about them.
“Mom, it’s no big deal,” he’d say.
Later that year, he walked up to Rose and told his mother he was going to play in the NBA. It was a bold declaration for a 5-year-old to make, but Reed already had begun to show an unwavering belief in himself. Rose took it as a promise her son meant to keep.
“If he does, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Rose said.
* * *
Throughout his rehabilitation and comeback, Reed would post photos of his progress on Instagram. He’d mark each post with the hashtag, “NoTears.”
Reed had plenty of reasons to cry, if he wanted. He had spent his freshman year at Miami having the coaching staff pull apart his game—he couldn’t shoot 3-pointers, he had no strength around the rim and couldn’t make a layup with contact, he had no vertical leap, they said.
Larrañaga joked with Reed, saying he wouldn’t allow anyone on the team to throw Reed an alley-oop pass. The coaches tried Reed on the passing end of the play, but stopped that experiment, too.
“He couldn’t throw them either,” Miami assistant coach Michael Huger said.
In the offseason, Reed put the criticisms to work. He built up his strength and vertical leap. He improved his shot. (Reed shot 49 percent from 3 during the 2014-15 regular season, best in the ACC and 4th in the country.)
By the end of summer, the coaching staff couldn’t help but rave about Reed’s progress.
“He’s bigger, faster, stronger, a better defender,” Larrañaga said. “He’s improved dramatically.”
Miami entered the season with a young team, giving Reed a prime opportunity to take charge and make the squad his. In late August, the Hurricanes jelled during a 10-day trip to Spain, where Reed continued to establish himself as a leader on the team. They returned with high hopes for the 2014-15 season.
Then, 10 days later, Reed got injured.
Reed decided then he wouldn’t allow his knee to affect his mindset. He would stay positive and motivated during his rehab. Once he grew strong enough to play again, he wouldn’t think about the injury or hesitate on the court.
By all accounts, Reed stayed true to his promise. Reed said he still is not satisfied with where his abilities are, and is anxious for the body to fully catch up with the mind. But, every now and then, he starts to see the work he put in over the summer paying off.
The Hurricanes’ season as a whole has been frustrating at times, too. They started the season 8-0, without Reed. Since his return, they are 16-10, handing Duke its only home loss this year but also losing to ACC bottom-dwellers, like Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.
And, of course, Reed has had to deal with real life, too.
During the season, the father of Manhattan College basketball player Carlton Allen, Jr.—Reed’s lifelong friend—died from cancer. In February, Reed dedicated a game to him by writing “R.I.P. Mr. Allen” in black marker on his sneakers.
Reed won’t talk about it.
“It’s life,” Reed said. “There’s a whole lot of ups and downs, but I can’t complain.”
In other words, no tears.
* * *
In 2009, only three boys’ basketball players in Mercer County history had scored 2,000 points in their careers. Reed set a goal for himself before his freshman year at Princeton Day School: he would join them.
The journey started in summer league that year. During his first game with PDS that summer, Reed took control of a team huddle during a timeout. He told the other players what to do and what their assignments were. The display surprised his new—and older—teammates.
“He didn’t care that he was 14, and they were 17 and 18,” PDS boys’ basketball head coach Paris McLean said. “He stepped right up and started leading.”
They soon saw that Reed could back up his talk, and Reed grabbed the attention of college coaches, including Huger at Miami, that year.
Reed finished his career with 2,102 points, and he arrived at Miami eager to impress.
The summer league scene repeated itself four years later when Reed, as a freshman at Miami, established himself as a vocal presence on the team. The coaching staff had to pull him aside to tell him they appreciated and needed his energy, but they also needed him to be aware of where and how he channels it.
“He’s always been like that,” Huger said. “His confidence is always so high. He’s a natural leader.”
Reed ranked fifth in minutes played for Miami last year, but at times he thought he should be receiving more playing time. He even had Rose call Larrañaga once to inquire about what it would take for Reed to see the court more. Larrañaga explained to Rose he likes to allow freshmen to develop into the system and college without asking them for too much too soon. Rose—and Reed—accepted the answer.
Both Larrañaga and Huger emphasized that Reed isn’t a malcontent. They only have to tell Reed something once, and he’ll get the message. But he is anxious to prove his ability.
This season, Larrañaga eased Reed back into action. At first, he asked Reed to be a facilitator and play defense. His role would be to find the open pass or shot and then get back and play with intensity on defense. Larrañaga said Reed is Miami’s best perimeter defender, and the Hurricanes needed him to play under control—and often without the ball—on offense so Reed had energy to match-up against the opponent’s best player on defense.
“That was hard to take at first,” Reed said.
But Reed found ways to get his shots, and Larrañaga gradually expanded Reed’s role. Now, he has the freedom to do whatever he likes on the court.
“He is capable of doing that, so he’s allowed to do that,” Huger said. “He doesn’t have limitations.”
* * *
Virginia Tech hung around all night.
Miami opened up an 8-point lead early in the second half of its first ACC Tournament game March 11, but the Hurricanes watched VT claw back into the game—6 points, 4 points, 3 points, 2 points, 1, zero. The Hokies fought until, with 8:47 remaining, they took the lead. Miami had eight minutes to save its season.
For weeks, experts predicted Miami would need to win two games in the ACC Tournament to make the Big Dance, the NCAA Tournament. A loss here, in its first game, would mean the Hurricanes wouldn’t have a shot.
Larrañaga called a time out with 5:29 remaining, his squad up, 44-43.
On the next possession, with 5:15 left, Reed received the ball at the top of the 3-point arc. He held the ball for three seconds, waiting for teammate Manu Lecomte to come off a screen. Reed passed the ball while on the ESPN broadcast commentator Jay Bilas said, “They wouldn’t be barely out if they lost this game. They’d be completely out.”
Reed shaded over to the right of the arc, bunching his defender up with a teammate’s. Reed then slid back to the top of the key, holding his hands up about stomach high. He wanted the ball.
Lecomte spotted Reed, and passed to him. Reed set his feet beyond the 3-point line, lined up his shot. His defender put his hands up and lunged at Reed, but it’s hopeless — he’s out of position, 8 feet away at the foul line. Reed was back on defense before the shot went in. There wasn’t a question. Miami by four with 5:04 left.
The shot crushed the Hokies. From there, Miami built its lead, and went on to win, 59-49.
The dream stayed alive for another day. “Making the tournament is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid,” Reed said before the ACC Tournament. “I hope it’s something we can do. We know what we need to do. We’re pretty close. I hope it happens.”
* * *
It didn’t.
The Hurricanes fell short in a comeback attempt against Notre Dame March 12 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, and had to wait with frayed nerves for three days until CBS Sports commentator Greg Gumble unveiled the teams picked for the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday.
The selection committee was kind to major conference bubble teams—Texas, UCLA, Indiana and Oklahoma State all made the field despite some flaws on their résumés. But the field did not include Miami.
That evening on ESPN, Bilas said, “I think Miami might be looking at UCLA in the field and saying, ‘What? Excuse me?’”
The next day, Reed still was coming to grips with the news. When asked about missing the tournament, he spoke in hushed tones.
“It’s kind of heartbreaking,” Reed said March 16. “With all the hard work we put in, it’s deflating.”
But, suddenly, Reed flipped moods. The need to prove something stirred inside him once again. He raised his voice, and spoke firmly, confidently.
“What’s done is done,” he said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to winning the NIT.”
Reed unleashed a 26-foot 3-pointer that clanged off the rim.
“That was a bad shot,” ESPN commentator Dan Dakich said.
It’s a reminder that Reed is still just 19-years old, a work in progress despite his extreme confidence in himself. Dakich goes on to criticize Reed for taking a shot that went counter to the flow of the game. But Reed didn’t see game flow; he just saw the chance to hit a big-time shot.
Just minutes remained. Miami trailed by just three, clawing back from an 18-point deficit against Richmond March 24 in the third round of the National Invitation Tournament. The NIT is a 32-team competition, usually populated with schools that don’t make the NCAA Tournament.
Reed rushed back on defense, and screened a Richmond player so a teammate could grab a defensive rebound. Dakich suddenly changed his opinion on the sophomore—“Great play by Reed,” he said.
On the next possession, he took the ball, declined an open shot and found teammate Sheldon McClellan open for a 3-pointer. Swoosh. Tie game, two minutes left.
In the final minutes, Reed grabbed a couple defensive rebounds and hit two free throws. The Hurricanes’ lead grew to as much as six, and they held on to win, 63-61, and advance to the first NIT semifinal in school history. They’re scheduled to play Temple 7 p.m. March 31 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The winner would advance to the NIT championship game April 2.
Reed went just 1-for-6 from the field against Richmond, but still put up 10 points and 12 rebounds, a double-double. He may not have hit any highlight- reel shots, but he created opportunities for himself when his shot wasn’t falling. He got to the foul line. He grabbed rebounds. He played defense.
It’s the kind of game that has the coaching staff at Miami excited for Reed’s future. He can pull off an electrifying move or a deep 3-pointer, but he doesn’t need them to be successful.
It’s that meeting of burgeoning maturity and perpetual confidence, of promise and follow-through that has his coaches finally describing Reed in his own language.
“We want him to be the best Davon Reed he can be for the University of Miami,” Huger said. “If that’s 1st team ACC and an NBA draft pick, the sky’s the limit for him.”
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