S P OR T S |
J . P. P E L Z M A N
Advocate for Good, On and Off the Court
S
havar Reynolds Jr. was over 6,000 miles away
1,000-point career scorer back home in New Jersey at
from home when he had an experience that
Manchester Township High School. But that didn’t earn
shaped his athletic future and the way he saw
him any Division I scholarship offers.
the world.
His family lived in Japan for three years when his
“Belief,” Reynolds says. “I just knew I could. Even if I
father, Shavar Sr., a master-at-arms in the U.S. Navy, was
wasn’t good enough [at first], I would work hard enough
stationed there, and it’s where he attended fifth through
to be good enough.”
seventh grade. “It changed my outlook on life,” recalls Reynolds Jr.,
He attended Covenant College Prep in nearby Belmar, and his coach, Ian Turnbull, set up an open-gym workout
now a Seton Hall point guard, “because it showed me no
at Seton Hall. Reynolds showed his stuff, playing with
matter where you go, people are people. I always thought
notable Seton Hall seniors such as Angel Delgado and
it would be a whole different world, but it’s really not.
Khadeen Carrington.
We’re all just people.” That’s one reason he felt the need to speak out about social injustice on a podcast last year, in the wake of several racially charged incidents in the country. The years in Japan “showed me we can live equally and peacefully but we have to want to. … I think that’s
“They really liked the way he played,” coach Kevin Willard recalls. “It was really about those guys saying they wanted him to be on the team.” Reynolds was a walk-on at first. But that changed when he and Willard spoke after his freshman season. “I thought he’d be a really good role player,” Willard
the big thing. … I’m always going to advocate for it and
says, explaining his reasoning for granting Reynolds a
speak out because it’s possible.”
scholarship. “You have to give him a tremendous amount
Reynolds’ time overseas also changed his athletic direction, which had been oriented around the gridiron.
of credit for his work ethic. He has an edge.” “I went into this with the idea that I was going to earn
But only flag football was available on the base, while
a scholarship,” Reynolds says, “but it doesn’t compare to
basketball courts were plentiful.
the actual moment that it happened.”
“The passion for football went away,” he says. “I
Thrust into a starting point guard role this past season,
started falling in love with basketball because I started
Reynolds was outstanding for the Pirates, finishing in
playing it so much.”
the top-10 in the BIG EAST Conference in assists (4.2 per
He played it well enough to be a three-year starter and
30
So why didn’t he give up?
game), assist/turnover ratio (1.9) and steals (1.8 per game).
