The hot streak that the St. Francis men’s basketball experienced late in the season was as much about who wasn’t in the starting lineup.
Former Greenwood player Jeffrey Reynolds, a 6-foot-7 junior forward, transitioned into a valued sixth man in early February and made the most of his new role. Not coincidentally, the Cougars won 10 of 11 games down the stretch before a loss to Shawnee State in the semifinals of the NAIA national tournament in Kansas City.
It was a bizarre season given the limited attendance at games due to COVID-19 restrictions, and yet a productive one. Reynolds averaged 8 points and 4.9 rebounds and was second on the team in blocks as St. Francis finished with a 27-9 record.
“It was definitely kind of a weird year,” said Reynolds, who missed the first six games of the season to right himself academically. “It was a wake-up call and awesome to get back. And there was a great outcome. Coming off the bench, sometimes it’s a good thing.”
Reynolds, a starter in all but four of the games he was eligible for through January, was seated at the start of his team’s 83-79 victory against Grace College on Feb. 3. He responded off the bench by playing 20 minutes, scoring 13 points, collecting five rebounds and dishing two assists.
St. Francis won its first seven games with Reynolds in a reserve role, capped by a somewhat surprising 106-79 road drubbing of No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan. Reynolds factored into that win big time, with 14 points in only 19 minutes of court time.
The move, according to 10th-year Cougars coach Chad LaCross, was designed to put Reynolds and 6-6 sophomore starting forward David Ejah in positions that would best benefit the team.
“We wanted to split their minutes, and honestly, when we did that is kind of when we went on a run,” LaCross said. “Jeff is a little more comfortable playing inside than David is, and (Reynolds) had some huge games for us. And I thought Jeff was phenomenal for us defensively.”
For that to happen, acceptance of being the first player off the bench is a must. Had Reynolds, a starter in 51 games over his freshman and sophomore seasons, been disgruntled over his coach’s decision, it might have imploded the process.
No such thing happened.
“Jeff was great about his role,” LaCross said. “He had some up and down games, but winning can take care of a lot of issues. The great thing about our team is that we return most of our guys.”
Only one of the four seniors on the 2020-21 St. Francis ball club (guard Lance Dollison) started. Eighty-two percent of the Cougars’ points this season were provided by underclassmen, including Reynolds, who is 214 points shy of the 1,000-point milestone for his career.
The Crossroads League is among the top conferences, if not the best, in NAIA. There are no cupcake opponents — as evidenced by the fact that four of the final 16 teams in the national tourney (St. Francis, Bethel, Indiana Wesleyan and Marian) came from the league.
Regardless of his role next season, Reynolds says it’s imperative for him to add more muscle to his 180-pound frame.
“I need to get bigger. I’m pretty skinny for my position,” he said. “I would like to get up to about 200 pounds, but it’s very hard for me to put on weight.”
Just another opportunity to adapt and excel.
