(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski) TURNING HEADS: Princeton Day School guard Davon Reed heads to the hoops in a recent game. Although just a sophomore, Reed is already a prized recruit for several Division 1 college basketball programs. Last Friday, Reed entertained the college coaches in attendance at the PDS gym, scoring 27 points in a 59-52 loss to visiting Rutgers Prep. On Monday, Reed tallied 26 as PDS topped Morrisville High (Pa.) 47-40 to improve to 7-5.

PDS Boys’ Hoops Star Reed Is Prized D-1 Recruit but Keeping Focus on Team Goals, Improvement

Bill Alden

The big-time college basketball coaches and other luminaries were out in force last Friday evening as the Princeton Day School boys’ hoops team hosted Rutgers Prep.

Temple head coach Fran Dunphy stood in one corner of the packed gym while assistants from Rutgers and St. Joe’s were also on hand.

Sitting in the second row, dressed in his trademark suit and tie was distinguished Princeton professor Cornel West.

But PDS sophomore star Davon Reed, the drawing card for the college coaches, wasn’t fazed by the hoopla.

“I see them and I know they are here,” said Reed, referring to the presence of the coaches.

“I want to play well but I try to zone them out as much as possible and just focus on my game.”

The lanky Reed proceeded to light up the gym with his well rounded game, scoring 27 points together with several rebounds, blocked shots, and floor burns from diving for loose balls.

Reed’s heroics, though, weren’t enough as PDS dropped a 59-52 nailbiter to the Argonauts.

While Reed was disappointed by the result, he was proud of how the Panthers fought their rivals.

“It is a rivalry game; the only thing is that they put the ball in the basket more than us,” said Reed. “I think we played harder and had the same quality of basketball. We just fell a little short.”

Reed is working hard to become a top-quality player. “I try to work on my shooting everyday; I work on my game constantly to get better,” said Reed. “I try to outwork my opponents as much as possible.”

Even though he is just a sophomore, Reed has assumed a leadership role for the Panthers.

“My team gives me the confidence; they put their trust in me and I try to be a leader on the floor and direct them,” said Reed.

“I realize that by losing Kenny [Holzhammer] and Cody [Exter] I do have to score more and step up a little and be that leader. We have great leadership from our three senior captains [Chris Bonnaig, A.J. Rubin, and Robby Smukler] but I am that leader without a label.”

PDS head coach Paris McLean trusts Reed to lead by example. “Davon is a special player; that was the best performance of his career,” asserted McLean.

“He rises to the challenge and we knew Rutgers Prep was a challenge. That was a talented team but they didn’t stop Davon. He shot the ball well, he passed well, he rebounded, and he was diving on the floor. That’s what gets us going; when our kids see one of the better players on the floor going after it like that, they think we can do it too.”

McLean liked the way his team went after things collectively against Rutgers Prep as it trailed 29-28 at the half only to forge ahead 41-40 heading into the fourth quarter.

“That was an overall amazing performance by our boys on both ends of the floor,” said McLean.

“It is a cliché to say that they left it all on the floor but there is no other way to put it. Today the effort was there and the execution was there so we were knocking on the door. We were just a few plays away, a call here, a call there, a shot made here, a shot made there.”

Even though the Panthers stood at 7-5 after a 47-40 win over Morrisville High (Pa.) last Monday, McLean believes his squad has a shot to be really good come tournament time.

“I don’t feel like a slightly above .500 team; I feel like a really good basketball team that has played some really good teams,” said McLean, whose team plays at Pemberton High on January 15.

“You think about our losses, we had two to Solebury, and others to Pennington, Rutgers Prep, and Hightstown. You don’t want to take them but you know what, those were great games. These games in January prepare you for February. You want the wins and that’s what you play for but it is all about building and you have got to see the big picture.”

In Reed’s view, the Panthers are building something special. “I wasn’t here two years ago but the program obviously wasn’t that good,” said Reed.

“Paris said he saw it last year that slowly we just started getting better. You could see that everybody wanted to win and they were putting forth that effort. This year, it has carried on and we are out there playing hard.”

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