City of Basketball Love

By Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of our 2023-24 season coverage, which will run for the six weeks preceding the first official games of the year on Nov. 6. To access all of our high school and college preview content for this season click here.)

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Erik Reynolds came to St. Joe’s to be a program changer.

Hawks coach Billy Lange had visions of something special when he was recruiting Reynolds out of Bullis School (Md.) in the suburbs of D.C.

The 6-foot-2 guard was the program’s highest-rated recruit in more than a decade (according to 247Sports) before arriving on campus in 2021. He chose Lange and St. Joe’s over Xavier, VCU, Richmond and George Mason with eyes of returning the Hawks to the top of the Atlantic-10.

“He from the jump, just showed his belief for me,” Reynolds said of Lange. “I really value that and he showed me what the vision was that he had for this program and he told me, he wanted me to be a part of that so I was thankful for that. I came here and since I've been here, the vision is just becoming closer and closer.”

The Hawks were one of the first schools to pursue Reynolds hard during his junior summer in 2019 with Team Takeover, offering him July of that year. Even without visiting campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he committed 13 months later — the biggest commitment so far for Lange in his five-year tenure at St. Joe’s.

Reynolds started 29 of 30 games and averaged 12.1 ppg and 2.3 apg as a freshman in 2021-22 to earn All-A-10 Rookie honors. He was arguably the team’s best player during the final month of an 11-19 campaign, raising expectations for his sophomore campaign.

He met those expectations and more last season.

Reynolds averaged 19.6 ppg (third in A-10) on 43 percent shooting and added 2.5 apg and 3.1 rpg as the Hawks went 16-17 and advanced to the A-10 Tournament quarterfinals. He earned second team all-conference honors last season and enters 2023-24 as a preseason first team All-A-10 selection.

The bar is raised once again.

“We push him to be better, we push him to be a better defender, we push his motor, we push him to have more burst,” Lange said. “We push him to lead by actually grabbing a teammate and telling him when he’s not holding up to a standard on or off the court. 

“You start back in the springtime, let whoever’s guarding him just foul him, hold him, grab him, all the things he’s going to have to expect to go through and you’re looking for a mind that is resilient against that type of pressure and expectation that he’s certainly going to have.”

Lange described Reynolds’ spirit as the best he’s ever been around. He said he’s the best listener he’s ever been around, mentioning Ryan Arcidiacono from his time at Villanova as one of the few players who compare.

The goal for Reynolds isn’t to be a first team all-conference player. It’s to keep evolving into the player that gets the Hawks a championship at the end of their season.

“Personally, I want what's best for the team, like I have no individual goals,” Reynolds said. “I want to win an A-10 championship with this team because this team is special. I feel like we could do a lot of big things this year. We're going to take it one game at a time, but I feel like we could do some exciting things.”

Reynolds was a marked man by opposing defenses last season but still found a way to be efficient, shooting 43 percent from the field. He also shot 38 percent from deep, averaging three 3-point makes per game.

He learned how to be the go-top-guy for a team, how to adjust when opponents throw the kitchen sink to try and stop him.

“You just have to be deceptive and you can't be predictable,” Reynolds said. “Whether that's screening for a teammate, or running off different screens, I just can't be predictable. I try to switch up every time I come down.”

Reynolds said part of his focus this offseason was improving his shooting. He practiced getting shots off from different angles, coming off screens, figuring out a way to get his shot off faster. He said when and where to use his speed is another part of his game he improved on.

As he tries to take the next step, Reynolds should have more help. Redshirt-freshman Christ Essandoko is a 7-footer who could be a dominant force down low. Cameron Brown (13.3 ppg) and Lynn Greer (12.5 ppg) are back; Kacper Klaczek is healthy; and guys like Christian Winborne (6.0 ppg) and Rasheer Fleming (5.8 ppg) are another year older.

“If I'm drawing attention, that helps me get my teammates open, so I’m good with it,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds could have looked elsewhere to continue his college career after a breakout sophomore campaign. Others have used the transfer portal to try and play at a higher level.

The St. Joe’s junior believes there’s something special about this group, however.

He decided to stick with the man who has known him since he was 17 and the plan he talked about back then.

“It comes from him being the head coach and recruiting me that heavy and showing his belief in me early like I really, really respect tha and I take a lot of value from that,” Reynolds said. “That's stuff I really go back and think about when I was making that decision. So I'm in my shoes now I'm like, ‘Well, if he's recruiting me that way, why would I go? 

“Why would I leave that if it's still the same thing and I see the vision and the program being better?”