PHCC Men's Basketball

Former NBA and North Carolina Star Joins PHCC Coaching Staff 

Sunday, November 13, 2011
By DAVID REYNOLDS - Martinsville Bulletin Sports Writer

The Patrick Henry Community College men’s basketball program has brought on J.R. Reid, a former North Carolina star and an 11-year NBA veteran, as an assistant coach. Reid, who was an All-American with the Tar Heels and played for six different NBA teams, coached in his first two practices with the Patriots on Thursday and Friday.

The 6-foot-9 former college standout said he will primarily work wih the big men on PHCC’s roster, and he has hopes his time with the Patriots will make him a more attractive candidate for a head-coaching job in the future.

“There’s a lot of people who want to be coaches, and they have to see that you’re really dedicated, really truly want to put the work into it,” Reid said. “This is a great opportunity for me just to show what I want to do, to let them know I don’t care what level I’m coaching on. “I just want to coach and be a part of a young player’s development.”

PHCC head coach Kenny Wade said giving his young team a new voice, espeically a voice with experience at the Division-I and professional level, will be invaluable this coming season.

Reid was one of the top recruits in the nation coming out of Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, and he played from 1986-89 for Dean Smith and North Carolina. Before being drafted with the fifth overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1989 NBA Draft, Reid was named the ACC Rookie of the Year in 1987 and the ACC Tournament MVP in 1989.

After the 1988 season, he was selected as an Associated Press All-American, and he also won a gold medal with the U.S. basketball team in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.  “Coming from the NBA, he can teach them a whole lot, the tricks of the trade, some things I know I can’t teach him because I was a little guy,” Wade said. “I mean, I know about the post, but I didn’t play the post, because I was a guard.”

Standing to benefit most from that coaching is Aaron Williams, PHCC’s 6-foot-10 newcomer. Reid only needed to see a few practices to get excited about his potential and athleticism, but he said Williams needs to put in plenty of work during the season.

“(Williams has) got to get his fundamentals, his skill-set a little bit better. He didn’t play last year in high school, so he’s a little bit behind,” Reid said. “He’s raw, but he’s a tremendous athlete. He can run, block shots, shoot the ball. He just needs to get a little bit stronger.”

In his NBA career from 1989-2001, Reid played for the Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Clevland Cavaliers. Outside of his NBA days, he played overseas in France, Spain and China for varying amounts of time, and he also organized and ran numerous nonprofit basketball camps during his offseasons.

“Having him on staff brings a huge wealth of knowledge to the game,” Wade said. “It’s been a blessing to have him here to go along with my other guys.” In addition to his duties with PHCC, Reid said he will be working with Barry Nelson’s car dealerships and making appearances in Nelson’s commercials.

Before taking the job with the Patriots, Reid was an unpaid volunteer assistant for the men basketball’s team at Chowan College in Murfreesboro, N.C. He joked that Martinsville was a “bustling metropolis” compared to his last coaching stop.

He already netted his first victory with the Patriots before he even was sitting on the bench for his first game. After being challenged to a 3-point contest by one of PHCC’s injured players, Reid said he shook off the rust and drained enough treys for the win.

But despite his high-profile history and his aspirations for the future, Reid said his focus this year will be on getting the Patriots’ players to work hard enough so they can fulfill the aspirations they have for themselves.

“I’ve got a lot of history behind me on what I’ve done and coaches I’ve played for,” Reid said. “I told them, ‘I’m not going to bring it up. I’m going to let you guys Google it and look at it on Youtube.’ I don’t want to talk about myself too much.”