From basketball camps hosted by the Toronto Raptors, to winning a high school championship and playing professionally, Jamal Reynolds has had quite the basketball journey.
Seeing Raptors fan favourites like Vince Carter and Morris Peterson walk in and out of youth camps inspired a then seven-year-old Reynolds to pursue the game.
As he grew up, Reynolds continued developing his skills and took various steps that helped him play at the collegiate level, such as playing in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) tournaments.
AAU tournaments gave Reynolds an opportunity to travel as part of a team among other high schoolers and exposed him to elite players in both Canada and the United States, as well as college scouts, which gave him a platform to showcase his skills.
Reynolds received various scholarship offers, including from Baylor University in Waco, TX, but was unable to accept due to a hiccup with the NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly known as the NCAA Clearinghouse) regarding his academic and athletic eligibility.
Reynolds was faced with the decision of attending a junior college in the U.S. and carving out a path that would allow him to transfer to a Division I school.
He ultimately decided to attend Mott Community College. During his two seasons at Mott (2012-14), Reynolds excelled and emerged as a star. In 2013-14, his two-point field goal percentage (69.9 per cent) placed him first in Division II of the National Junior College Athletic Association.
His successful run at Mott opened the doors for him to play at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y., an NCAA Division I school where he went on to serve as team captain.
Although it wasn’t the route Reynolds initially planned to take, he’s grateful because he developed a new mindset.
“The lessons and experiences taught me that hard work always prevails and that you can reach any level no matter the adversity you face,” Reynolds said.
Since graduating from Canisius in 2016, Reynolds has established a reputation as a hard-nosed rebounder and a tenacious defender.
When asked if there is a trick to rebounding, Reynolds said that he realized that guards have a better chance to rebound because the “big men” (forwards) are usually occupied with boxing out the opposition’s forwards, which leaves an opportunity for guards to swoop in.
“A lot of guards tend to either try to run the floor or don’t want to catch the rebounds, so I think it’s a mentality thing. You have to put it in your mind that you want to do something great and I think you can,” Reynolds said. “You do have to have a certain athleticism and skill but I think it’s a desire as well.”
Now in the midst of his fifth season of professional basketball, Reynolds said he’s hoping to become one of the best players in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL).
He’s already had a stint in the CEBL before, having played with the Guelph Nighthawks in 2019 and 2020, but he’s excited to further his career with Fraser Valley and to join the Bandits family.
He hopes to bring a championship to Fraser Valley and urged fans to get ready for a special season ahead.
“We have one of the most hungry teams in the league,” Reynolds said. “I think it’s going to be a huge season.”