Josh of all trades

Josh Reed is getting used to the spotlight.

As a role player on a few Arlee state tournament teams the past few years, Reed has played on the big stage, but the opponents’ focus has been elsewhere, like on state-record assist-holder Zack Camel or smooth shooter Rocky Lewis, who both now play for Salish Kootenai College.

This year, the 6-foot-6 Reed is the go-to guy, and he’s doing it well.

“What’s special about Josh is when we need a score, they know to get the ball to him, and he knows how to score,” Zanen Pitts, the Warriors coach said.

Reed is quick to deflect any credit, however.

“I’m getting to be the star, but really it’s not me. It’s the team that gets it to me,” the ever-humble Reed said. “When I get an easy layup, it’s not that I’m doing any of the work. They’re just doing a great job getting it to me so I can score.”

It’s not just layups that Reed is dropping in. Pitts said the senior is his most efficient 3-point shooter as well.

“Josh picks and chooses when to shoot them, but he’s really got a sweet touch,” Pitts said.

Reed is the Warriors’ “floor general,” sophomore Patrick BigSam said, even though he doesn’t bring the ball up the court. Pitts agrees.

“He’s kind of the foundation of the team,” Pitts said. “Just Josh’s presence on the floor is pretty big. He can get the ball and really calm them down on the floor.”

Pitts cited a Jan. 17 game at Charlo in which the Warriors trailed 25-2 in the first quarter. Reed quietly helped the Warriors back into the game, where they nearly tied it in the final period before falling, 70-63. He finished with 30 points.

Reed’s versatility and court savvy have allowed him to become the top scorer in Class C’s Western Division at 21.2 points-per-game. He’s crossed the 30-point plateau thrice already this year despite battling through double teams on many occasions.

But with Arlee’s energetic young guards on the outside, double-teaming Reed sometimes backfires.

“It’s definitely easier for us to get looks when they’re double-teaming him,” said BigSam, who found himself wide open to knock down the game-winning 3-pointer in a Jan. 11 victory at Mission when the Bulldogs doubled on his taller teammate.

But BigSam is happy not to shoulder that scoring load regularly.

“It takes a lot of weight off our shoulders,” he said. “We just try to get the ball in to him.”

Pitts said Reed’s work ethic and leadership both on and off the court have earned him that privilege.

“The kids agreed that he earned that right in the offseason, in practice, and in the classroom,” said Pitts. “He’s earned the right to demand the ball.”

Reed has even organized impromptu shoot-around sessions before school.

“Sometimes I get a text at 5:15 a.m. and they’re down at the [gym] shooting,” Pitts said.

Sophomore Justis Haynes said Reed sets the example for the younger members of the team.

“He’s a role model in school, out of school, at practice,” Haynes said.

Reed does indeed take school seriously. He’s already looking toward a career as a dentist.

“I’m a student,” he said. “I’m looking to go to college for basketball, but I also want to go to college for college.”

Reed said he’s gotten interest from some smaller colleges on the East Coast but that he’d rather stay somewhere in Montana, particularly Carroll College.

“I’d like to be a Montana player playing at a Montana school,” he said. “I want to be known as the hometown kid.”

Pitts thinks Reed would be a terrific addition to a college program at any level.

“He’d be a great kid to come in and redshirt. Come his sophomore and junior year, he could make an impact on any team,” Pitts said. “…If you send him to someone who can spend a lot of time to refine him, he could be a force in the post.”

And Reed truly has improved without any continuity in the coach’s box. Pitts is his third coach in three seasons. Pitts said it’s Reed’s work ethic that, much like in the classroom, has made him want to excel on the court.

“I’ve done nothing,” Pitts said. “I’ve just tried to open the gym for him.”

That comes from his family’s encouragement, according to Reed.

“I play because my family is so supportive,” Reed said. “If they weren’t so supportive, I probably wouldn’t play basketball, honestly.”