1 week Ago
A new era began for Wando High School's boys basketball on April 22 as Principal Chas Coker and Athletic Director Mark Buchman held an introductory press conference for newly hired coach of the Warriors, John Reynolds. The Citadel alum was a player for four years and an assistant coach under longtime Bulldog head coach, Ed Conroy. At The Citadel, Reynolds earned All-Academic Southern Conference honors.
He has most recently served as associate head coach at The Citadel in oversight of recruiting, strategic planning initiatives, scouting and skill development. Reynolds also has spent time at the University of South Carolina, having served under former head coach Frank Martin. In his time as Director of On-Campus Recruiting, he played a big role in the recruitment of eight future NBA players in five seasons with the Gamecocks.
As a key staff member, he helped Martin to win 75 games and to three top-six finishes in the Southeastern Conference. With great connection to The Citadel’s Ed Conroy, Reynolds was asked how his college coach had prepared him to be a head coach at the high school level. It all started with his ambition to get into coaching and one phone call.
“The time he called me and he just laid out a plan for me and asked me what I wanted to do and the hook. If you want to get into coaching, this is where you need to be. You need to come here, play Division one basketball, go to The Citadel, get that education, leave with that degree, and bring in the things that are going to help set you apart and then said [to me] that he would be fully committed to helping me along that path and everything.
He told me from that first phone call when I was 17 or 18 years old. He's backed [that] up. I think the way that we built our program there, both as a player and what we've done the last few years, it translates anywhere,” Reynolds said.
Facing off against his college teammate, Cameron Wells — a former player and current assistant coach at The Citadel — has helped build Reynolds into the coach he is today. “First off, I mean, Cam's just a tremendous player. And an honor to play against him every day in practice.
And I know I got under his skin a good bit. And most of that was by design. You know, and that was really my first foray into coaching was those battles with him every day and kind of pouring myself into those battles and seeing if I could get the best out of him.
I think now that we're both 35, 36 years old and we got away from that, we understand now, we're not so chippy anymore. But he's been a great friend forever and a tremendous player,” Reynolds said On the player piece ..
. the best [coaches] really pour into every single detail and, and are self-starters and kind of bring that same approach every single day. So I was blessed to compete with him and work with him,” Reynolds said.
With 13 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level, Reynolds has seen exactly what goes into a great coaching staff, as his former bosses, Ed Conroy and Frank Martin built around himself as an assistant coach. For Reynolds he wants his staff and team to pride itself on maintaining two standards: energy and alignment. “The most important thing I think is bringing great energy every day in that building, you know there can't be anybody that's bringing anyone down.
We can't expect our kids to have unbelievable enthusiasm for what they're doing, if we don't bring that to the table first. Number two is alignment, [that] is using the same language across the board, echoing each other, having no holes in our staff, having no, no different messages. The kids are [going to be] getting the same message every day.
They know what we're about. We stand for something. We have a program, and everybody on staff is aligned with that vision and is going to hold the kids accountable to that vision every single day,” Reynolds said.
With a new opportunity here at Wando, Reynolds is focused on connecting with the community and a sense of pride to Wando boys basketball. “I think it's really paramount. Building a or having a program that people can connect with; that the kids in the area grow up wanting to be a part of, the first piece [in doing that], [you have to be] visible, being in the hallways and attending games.
Having a pulse on what's going on,” Reynolds said. “We are members of this community, right? My son's playing Mount Pleasant rec right now. And that was a part of this decision for me; seeing the community support that is out there and being able to take a kid from his age who's just getting started and have an impact on their experience all the way through,” Reynolds added.
“So I think it's visibility. I think it's going to take effort. But also, just being out there and building that connection,” Reynolds said.
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