INDIANAPOLIS (AP) 鈥� Coach Dusty May saw Tarris Reed Jr.’s potential on tape when he took the Michigan job. Reed just didn’t see any viable path to fulfill it with coming to Ann Arbor with May.
So the 6-foot-11, 265-pound St. Louis native stayed in the transfer portal, found a school willing to give him a fresh start and a coach committed to helping him turn raw talent into real productivity.
On Monday, two years after giving up a starting job at Michigan to become a backup for a UConn team seeking a third straight national title, Reed’s journey will complete his college career against the university he called home for his first two college seasons in
鈥淲e’re just chopping it up and talking a little bit, but like I said Reed said Sunday, referring to the two former Michigan teammates still on the Wolverines’ roster. 鈥淚t’s not personal. We know it’s just competing for the best outcome of our team.”
The era of college players facing former teams in March Madness is becoming more routine in a college sports world where players often use their freedom to transfer to find more NIL money and more playing time with coaches and systems that better their natural skills.
Forward Nimari Burnett, Reed’s former teammate at Michigan, logged 17 minutes in a Sweet 16 matchup against his former team, Alabama. And Illinois guard Kylan Boswell could have faced his former team, Arizona, Monday night 鈥� if Saturday’s semifinal results had been reversed.
The reasons for finding new schools vary, and in Reed’s case it was all about opportunity.
鈥淭arris had heard that Vlad (Goldin) was probably going to be coming with us,鈥� May said, explaining Reed’s decision. “So he came in, and I talked to his parents, and I talked to everyone around him and he basically said, 鈥楥oach, I know Vlad is coming with you. Do you think you can make that work?鈥� I said, 鈥楾arris, you both are really good; it won鈥檛 be easy. We haven鈥檛 played like that before. But I鈥檓 very confident that because of both your skill sets and talent we can figure it out.鈥欌��
Then Danny Wolf decided to transfer to Michigan and suddenly Reed felt he was out of a job.
Goldin and Wolf are, in fact, no longer at Michigan either, replaced by newcomers such as Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg and 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara.
Yet Reed, a two-time all-state selection in Missouri thought he’d found the perfect landing spot at UConn.
While his 2024-25 stats improved slightly from his final season at Michigan 鈥� 9.6 points and 7.3 rebounds in 35 games as a backup on an NCAA Tournament team compared with 9.0 points and 7.2 rebounds as a full-time starter on an 8-24 squad. 鈥� the transition didn’t always go smoothly.
Hurley acknowledged their relationship was sometimes strained because of his demands. Still, Reed tried to epitomize the rugged, gritty nature of the Huskies culture on the court, though behind the scenes Reed sometimes struggled.
鈥淭here were days where, after that season, I鈥檓 in my room just crying, 鈥榃hat the heck do I do?鈥� I鈥檓 writing in my journal, and I鈥檓 trying to think, 鈥楧o I stay? Do I go?鈥� When I started writing in my journal, it was obvious I had to stay at UConn,” said the Big East’s 2024-25 Sixth Man Award winner. 鈥淐oach was coaching me so hard that there was a point where we were about to split ways after the season, after my junior year,鈥�
Instead, Reed returned stronger both physically and emotionally, more committed to proving he was the right fit in Storrs, and his final college season couldn’t have gone any better.
He blossomed into a first team all-Big East selection, teamed up with the likes of Alex Karaban and Braylon Mullins to lead the Huskies (34-5) to their third national championship game in four years. A win Monday night would give UConn its seventh title 鈥� all since 1999.
In tourney play, nobody has fared better. Reed registered 31 points and 27 rebounds, both career highs, in an 82-71 first-round win over Furman. He was named the East Region’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging 21.7 points and 13.5 rebounds in four wins and then he added 17 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday’s 71-62 victory over Illinois.
Even his relationship with Hurley changed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really improved since he鈥檚 been on a tear. Now we鈥檙e best friends,鈥� Hurley said Sunday with a laugh. 鈥淏ut I鈥檝e been saying that, go back six weeks, go back two months, go back three months, our season is going to be determined by what Tarris Reed does, which Tarris Reed we get, does the light switch go on for Tarris Reed.鈥�
Burnett, for one, couldn’t be happier to see Reed excel.
鈥淗e鈥檚 always been just a happy person, someone who is always joyful of the moment and just a joyful teammate even during that time, that year where things weren鈥檛 as happy (at Michigan), he brought joy,鈥� Burnett said. 鈥淗e brought enthusiasm. He鈥檚 just a great person, and we also have similar beliefs and faith. So I have a good connection with him.”
If Burnett wasn’t playing Reed on Monday, Burnett might even be cheering for his friend.
But this a game that goes beyond friendship. The winner will forever be called a national champion forever, and the runner-up will likely be relegated to the history books.
Regardless of the outcome, Reed insists he’ll have no regrets helping UConn finish what he started at Michigan.
“I started my career at Michigan and now I鈥檓 about to play them in my final game of college basketball. I never would have thought that would happen in a million years,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s the national championship game, so I feel like they鈥檙e going to be coming at my neck, we鈥檙e going to be coming at their neck, so it鈥檚 going to be a great, fun bloodbath and just a competitive game.鈥�
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