Erik Reynolds’ last day at Bullis School was on May 23. As soon as classes ended that afternoon at the suburban Washington, D.C. school, he said goodbye to classmates, teachers and coaches, then traveled up the interstate with his parents to begin his college basketball journey at Saint Joseph’s. He described the entire day as a blur.
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Reynolds knew the biggest adjustment he’d have to make in college, at least off the court, was learning how to live on his own. Feeding himself. Maintaining his own schedule. Making sure he’s on time for classes, team breakfasts, lifts and study halls. The Hawks practice early in the morning, so every night Reynolds had to make sure he set a few alarms so he wouldn’t oversleep. Most mornings he got to practice on time without any problems. But even Reynolds wasn’t immune to a freshman mistake.
“I missed (my alarm) once, not even going to lie to you,” he says.
His punishment for showing up to practice late?
“If you don’t get up there’s consequences for that,” he says. “There was a little bit of running involved.”
Reynolds’ roommate on campus is a fellow newcomer, 6-8 swingman Kacper Klaczek from Poland. This summer they spent a lot of time getting to know each other. Klaczek shared his memories of living in Poland, Italy and New York with Reynolds. In return, Reynolds gave Klaczek some insight into what it’s like to be from the DMV area. Through their conversations, the two eventually found some common ground, and their relationship grew stronger. And even though they’ve only been on campus together for a few months, Reynolds recognizes Klaczek as one of his closest friends and teammates.
In the summertime when the freshmen first arrived at Saint Joseph’s, they had to go through orientation with their fellow classmates. Reynolds and Klaczek were in the same orientation group. That day they got out of practice a little late, so they were hurrying across campus to meet up with the other students.
“It was funny,” Reynolds says. “So we get to the group, we go through the day a little bit. I just noticed that I was the one that was a little quiet and calm and Kacper was the one who was very talkative, talking to everyone, trying to meet everybody, meeting random people, asking for their name and stuff like that.”
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So at Saint Joseph’s, that’s the relationship everyone knows Reynolds and Klaczek by. Reynolds is the chill, laid-back one, while Klaczek is the outgoing one who can’t stop talking.
“Erik and Kacper spend a lot of time with each other,” says assistant coach Brenden Straughn. “There are probably days where Erik just wants to chill in the room and Kacper wants to go and be loud and sociable. But in a college environment, it’s good to have different perspectives on things and these guys are probably going to be lifelong friends is what I envision.”
On the court, Straughn says Reynolds has been a quick learner and very coachable. His work ethic has impressed, and he’s already put himself in a position to play a major role for the Hawks as a freshman. Even though Reynolds, a 6-2, three-star combo guard, is young, a lot will be expected from him this season. The staff knows he’ll experience his fair share of ups and downs in Year 1, but believe his future is bright.
“He’s done fine,” Straughn says. “He’s been able to pick up offensively and defensively what we’re trying to do. As far as getting adjusted outside of the normal workout routine where you have weights, practice, class, study hall, come back for shooting, that first week, week and a half your body can be in shock so to speak because you’re not used to having these long days. But now he’s fully adjusted and looking forward to the season.”
Why has Reynolds’ college career gotten off to such a fast start? He credits coach Bruce Kelley at Bullis School, and his former grassroots program Team Takeover.
“At Bullis, Coach Kelley and I had time to break down film,” Reynolds says. “At Team Takeover we were constantly working on different situations that we would be in and I would just apply it that way. It’s been the same thing at Saint Joseph’s. I watch film with Coach (Billy) Lange or Coach (Justin) Scott or Coach Straughn. I analyze it, and the next time I see it on the floor, I’m able to read it correctly. That’s why I’ve been learning things so quickly. Film has been a huge help. It tells you everything. It’s been the key to all this.”
Reynolds’ focus this summer was adding strength and speed. Entering college weighing just 170 pounds, he noticed in the team’s first scrimmage that he was struggling to fight around screens on defense and get to his spots on offense. He quickly realized that the college game was faster, and a lot more physical. He was getting knocked off balance too often at both ends. Teammates like junior Rahmir Moore were basically getting whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted.
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“He was showing me every day why strength matters,” Reynolds says. “I knew I would have to brace myself on defense, be able to hold my ground and not get pushed off. Being able to box out, get rebounds, all those things played a part. But he’s been helping me a lot. He hasn’t been just going at me all the time. Well, he’s been doing that. But other than that, he’s also been giving me advice to get through some of the things he’s been doing. It’s been a heavy learning experience for me but he’s been getting me so much better.”
Veteran teammates such as Taylor Funk, Cam Brown and Dahmir Bishop have also helped Reynolds’ transition to the college level. Since the summer, Reynolds has put on eight to nine pounds. He’s also getting his shot off faster, and his overall feel for the game as a passer and playmaker has improved each day.
In Funk, Brown, Moore, Bishop, Jordan Hall, Jack Forrest and Jadrian Tracey, Saint Joseph’s returns numerous pieces from last season’s team. Along with Reynolds and Klaczek, the program also added Vanderbilt transfer Ejike Obinna and East Carolina transfer Charles Coleman to address size and toughness issues on the interior.
“Compared to the games I watched last year, this team is completely different,” Reynolds says. “Definitely bigger. Almost every day coach reminds us of how big this team is and I’m like the smallest guy.”
What separates Reynolds is his sudden burst. His combination of speed, ballhandling and playmaking is unique to this year’s roster. Straughn says Lange and the staff haven’t seen anything like it since they arrived at Saint Joseph’s in 2019.
“He’s able to push the ball in transition as a one-man fast break,” he says. “But in the half court, he can come off a ball screen, he can change speeds, he can break his man down and get to areas on the floor, he’s able to create for himself and his teammates. That combination of speed, agility, quickness and ball handling is going to be a well-added dimension for our program.”
There are whispers on Hawk Hill that Reynolds could begin the season as a starter in the backcourt alongside Hall, who was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team last year. But if things play out that way, considering both have been ball-dominant players up to this point in their careers, how could that pairing work?
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According to Straughn, it won’t be as complicated as you think.
“As basic as it sounds, they both can pass, dribble and shoot,” he says. “When Jordan has the ball, Erik can be off the ball and able to step in and hit shots at a high level. He’s actually one of our better catch-and-shoot guys. Jordan has shown, especially toward the end of last year, that when he has his feet set and guys are able to collapse the defense and kick it out to him, he can catch-and-shoot and make shots at a pretty high level. Both of them can create shots for themselves off the dribble, whether that’s pull-up 3s or in the mid-range or getting to the rim.
“You have to want to play with other good players, especially if you want to get to the next level. There’s not a backcourt in the NBA where the other guy can’t go make a play for himself and others. So with our offense this year, you’ll see a lot of times Jordan will bring the ball up and Erik off the ball, but you’ll also see Erik bring the ball up and Jordan off the ball. They’ve been getting some great chemistry so far.”
Continuing to add strength will be key for Reynolds. And he’ll have to keep getting used to being on the floor with bigger bodies. But just a few months into his college career, Reynolds’ early reviews have been promising.
He’s quickly found comfort on a college campus, both in the classroom and within the community. On the court he’s exceeding expectations, and gradually improving each day. Adding Reynolds to Hawks the locker room has been a “seamless transition,” Straughn says. And Reynolds can’t wait for what is next.
“These are some really great guys to be around,” Reynolds says. “They fight hard. They show every day that they want it and they want to be a part of something great. We can do some big things with this team this year. It could be really scary.”
(Photos: Courtesy Saint Joseph’s Athletics)