Michigan basketball's Tarris Reed Jr., no more Mr. Nice Guy, is propelled by faith

Rodney Perry has led thousands of film sessions across his career, but one stands out above the rest.

It wasn't long after a then-high school freshman, Tarris Reed Jr., joined his AAU team, Mokan Elite, during the 2018-19 school year. Though Perry soon realized he'd found his new star, he just as quickly recognized there was one message he seemingly couldn't get through to the center.

Reed, now 6-foot-10 and 265 pounds, was already one of the largest players on the court, yet Perry struggled to get him to act like it. Perry soon saw it was because he was up against an opposing force greater than his own.

Darlene Reed, Tarris’ mother, knew her son was likely to get singled out for standing head and shoulders above the other kids in his grade, so she implored him to be a gentle giant. It served Reed well off the court, but on the court it confounded Perry, who saw a player with an untapped fountain of potential.

Finally, Perry figured out what to do.

"I came up with an idea that I'll have his mom in the session with him when we watch film," laughed Perry, now an assistant coach at Kansas State, on a recent phone call with the Free Press. "I pointed out a couple plays and said 'Darlene, if he just gets this guy and can hit him right here, then we can get him the ball and score ... but you raised him too well, to be too nice and sweet.

GUARD PLAY: Michigan desperately needs its Boo Buie, who's nearing Northwestern legend status

"He's not going to go against his mom until you tell him it's OK to hit this guy. So, does he have your permission to hit this guy and be physical?"

Two years after Darlene gave her answer, "yes, he'd better be," Reed was third-team Nike EYBL 2021, averaging 15.4 points and 6.9 rebounds on the AAU circuit.

He transferred to Link Academy (Branson, Missouri) as a senior, Perry took over as head coach for the same season and the two helped the new program become a force. Reed nearly averaged a double-double (9.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks) and was a mainstay in the middle to help lead the Lions to a 34-2 season and runner-up finish at the GEICO Nationals.

[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Hail Yes!" your go-to Michigan Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

Reed became a consensus top-40 national recruit and the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Class 6 Player of the Year (2021) as he all-but had his choice of program to pick from, and ultimately chose to play for Juwan Howard.

Since then, even though the team success has been anything from what he experienced in high school — Michigan basketball is 26-34 during Reed's career and is poised to miss the NCAA tournament for a second straight year — his individual drive and work ethic remains the same, as does what gets him through each and every day.

“For me man, it’s my faith in Jesus,” Reed said earlier this month. “It’s been a rocky roller coaster. You win some games, feel like you have more control, and we lose. Just putting my trust in Him and believing in Him, that’s the biggest thing. He’s my fuel. When I get tired on the court I just lean on Him.”

Understandable adjustment

There was no expectation for Reed to be dominant immediately in college.

When he arrived last season, his offensive game still needed polishing. And he was behind All-American center Hunter Dickinson in the rotation. While he played in all 34 games as a freshman, he averaged just 3.4 points and 3.9 rebounds and played 20 minutes or more just four times.

Reed's best game of the year was eight points and 10 rebounds in a win over MSU, he added two blocks and three steals as he guarded all five positions and proved how he can change a game on defense.

While he knew what he signed up for, playing second fiddle was tough to stomach at the time. But Dickinson announced his departure last offseason and Reed realized it was his turn.

"Even though I wanted everything to go right, that’s not how it’s going to go," Reed said of his freshman season last summer while helping out at teammate Carson Cooper's basketball camp. "I'm finally going to get my chance to start. But I know it’s not going to be given, I mean, I know Coach Howard, I know how he roll, he’s going to make me earn it.

"I’ll show him I deserve to start this year and if I don’t it’s all on me. It’s 100% on my plate."

MORE BAD NEWS: Olivier Nkamhoua will miss remainder of season after wrist surgery

Reed got off to another slow start this season. He scored in double figures just once in his first nine games and grabbed more than six rebounds just three times. The lowlights came in back-to-back three-point losses to Oregon and Indiana when Reed was pulled late twice as he scored just five points and had six rebounds, combined, in the two defeats.

His body language said it all.

"With Tarris, it’s always been confidence No. 1," Perry said. "I don’t know why this is with him, but it always takes him some time to get adjusted. It’s a feeling out process."

Found his spot

For some reason it was the same way in high school.

Mokan Elite had spring and summer seasons and Perry said Reed had a better summer than spring each of his three years in the program. In their one season together at Link, Perry said it took Reed a while before he "hit his stride and became our MVP type of player," however he has a theory as to why that is.

"He’s always going to see where do I fit, what’s my role," Perry said. "Once he becomes comfortable, that’s when he becomes a star in that role."

That has been the case this season. In his last 17 games since finding his spot, Reed is averaging 10.5 points and 7.7 rebounds. In the past nine games, the numbers are even better: 11 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest.

'IT'S A SKILL GAME': Michigan basketball's Phil Martelli: Talk of playing hard is nonsense

“I’ve seen him throughout the year get better and better each and every game,” Howard said in reflection after U-M's win over Wisconsin. “Seeing him every day, I’ve watched his growth. He’s put in a lot of time in practice, individual sessions, in his non-practice days, as well as putting in work before practice.”

It's been hard to enjoy Reed's rise, because it's come simultaneously with Michigan's meltdown.

Back in December, he scored 14 points and had five rebounds in a career-high 45 minutes vs. Florida. His first career double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks came in a two-point home loss to Minnesota. His next, a 12-point 15-rebound night against Rutgers that also included five blocks.

Every effort stained by defeat.

"I got so many emotions, so many things going through my mind," he said that night. "It has been tough. If this was last year I would have been an emotional roller coaster. ... It has been tough, but you can’t let doubt and fear creep in. That’s the biggest enemy, that’s the biggest lie of the devil.

"So I’ve been able to focus on where I’m at now, what’s now, not worry too much about the future."

Even Saturday against MSU, Reed was imposing. The sophomore was consistently the best big man on the court as he finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.

He was efficient, and made 6 of 10 shots and 3 of 4 free throws — that's another area of improvement, after making just 40% of his shots from the line last season and 36% (9 of 25) during the first nine games this year, Reed has made 69.8% (44 of 63) the past 17 games. But few will remember Reed's big night, and instead that -M didn't score in the final 7:01 of the game and got swept by the Spartans for the first time since 2019.

Still, Reed has kept the tough nights in perspective by practicing gratitude every day. He has kids looking up to him, he reminds himself, and says he's blessed to have people who want his autograph, people who wait after the game in hopes they can have a picture with him.

This isn't what Reed pictured. Not by a long shot. He said there's purpose in the pain, and being a man of faith, he's not going to question his path.

"That's kind of a big, scary thing that I had to come to realize, that it's not only about me," Reed said. "So that’s a big thing, it’s bigger than me.

"Definitely been a struggle. I’ve been able to keep my mind at ease following Jesus. He’s my way. He’s my rock."

Contact Tony Garcia: apgarcia@freepress.com. Follow him at @realtonygarcia.

Next up: Wildcats

Matchup: Michigan (8-18, 3-12 Big Ten) at Northwestern (18-8, 9-6).

Tipoff: 9 p.m. Thursday; Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, Illinois.

TV/radio: FS1; WWJ-AM (950), WTKA-AM (1050).

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball's Tarris Reed Jr.: Bright spot during dark season