'I didn’t have the easiest path': NBA rising star tells his story to Asbury, Neptune kids in return home
NEPTUNE - The first time I saw Naz Reid play was in 2014 at the Hoop Group, where Asbury Park Middle School was playing in a tournament and the buzz surrounding the 14-year-old phenom was substantial.
Nine months later he walked onto the court for the first time with powerhouse Roselle Catholic in the gym at Point Beach, and by season’s end he was a solid role player on a Tournament of Champions winning team led by Kentucky-bound guard Isaiah Briscoe.
Who could forget the night in 2018 when Reid blocked a shot at one end before converting a spectacular dunk off an alley-oop pass in transition with 6.3 seconds left in the NJSIAA South Non-Public B playoffs to beat a Scottie Lewis, Bryan Antoine-led Ranney team en route to a TOC title.
So as the 6-9 Reid, entering his fifth season with the Minnesota Timberwolves as one of the NBA’s top young big men, interacted with young players Tuesday during his two-day camp at the College Achieve Charter School, it marked the completion of the most important athletic circle of all.
“I really want to give back in the community,” Reid said, “so it was important to me to come here and explain to the kids that I didn’t have the easiest path, and show them that anybody can make anything out of whatever situation they come from. That has been my biggest message to them.”
Former coach Dave Boff: Naz Reid is 'passionate about giving back'
Orchestrating the proceedings was Tinton Falls resident Dave Boff, who recently stepped down after 15 seasons as the head coach at Roselle Catholic, winning four TOC titles, to build a program at College Achieve.
“It’s awesome. This is something he has been talking about since he got into the NBA, running a free camp down in this area for the kids from the Asbury Park, Neptune community,” Boff said. “He’s super passionate about giving back in the area.
“It’s just been amazing to see his development. He’s been a great talent for a long, long time, But that doesn’t always mean you get to the NBA, and get that second contract. But he’s one of the guys who saw it all the way through.”
That second NBA contract was a three-year, $42 million deal he signed in June in the aftermath of his best season, averaging 11.4, and 4.9 rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench each night, the culmination of a slow, steady rise in the Timberwolves’ rotation.
And he's still only 23, having made the team as an undrafted free agent out of LSU, where he played one season.
“Being undrafted has motivated me, and that makes it an even better story,” Reid said. “Having made it past multiple obstacles, where there are signs of struggle and need and things of that nature. And then finally able to break through those barriers and get to the NBA, where I kind of have my foot in the door. And that’s what I’m trying to show these kids.”
Pictures and autographs at the end
Reid suffered a broken left wrist on March 29 and missed the final few weeks of the regular season, and the Timberwolves’ opening-round playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets, but is expected to be ready for the start of preseason camp in early October.
As the camp came to an end with a flurry, including backpacks for the campers, and plenty of pictures and autographs, Reid took time to talk with a host of well-wishers, many of whom played a role in his rise over the years.
“I was talking to one of my mentors, Barry Brown, who actually brought me into basketball. I knew nothing about basketball and in the fourth grade he introduced me to basketball,” Reid said.
Now Reid’s journey, which has taken him from some tiny Jersey Shore gyms to the biggest arenas on the planet, is coming full circle, as he seeks to support and motivate kids who walked the same streets he did a decade earlier.
Stephen Edelson is a USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey sports columnist who has been covering athletics in the state and at the Jersey Shore for over 35 years. Contact him at: @SteveEdelsonAPP; sedelson@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Naz Reid of NBA's Timberwolves back in NJ to work with kids at camp
