Calling it a “dream come true,” Burlington High senior guard Tyrel Reed on Wednesday afternoon signed a national basketball letter of intent with Kansas University.
Reed, who said “KU is the place I always wanted to be; I always dreamed of running out that tunnel (at Allen Fieldhouse),” indicated he received a phone call from KU coach Bill Self at about 8 p.m. Tuesday, a day before today’s conclusion of the fall signing period.
“He told me it was a go, if I wanted to be a Jayhawk, I could,” said Reed, who gobbled up the offer.
Reed, who started attending KU’s summer basketball camp when he was 6-years-old, chose the Jayhawks over Missouri, Oklahoma, Missouri State, Stanford and others.
“We’re very excited about signing Tyrel,” Self said. “He is a 6-3 combo guard that can play both on the ball and off the ball because he is an excellent shooter. We’ve been recruiting Tyrel for the past three years, and because of our limited scholarship situation had been encouraging him to sign in the spring. We felt there would be a scholarship available then. Since we did not sign a wing in the fall, we did everything we could to try and convince Tyrel to sign now. This is a great signing for us, an exciting day for Tyrel, his family and everyone that supports Kansas basketball.”
Reed said KU’s Self had “emphasized” there would be an offer awaiting him in the spring if he elected to wait that long.
“I trusted him it’d work out. It’s nice to get it done before the season, just go out and play,” Reed said.
As a junior, Reed led the Wildcats to a perfect 23-0 regular season and sub-state record, along with helping his team earn the top seed at the Class 3A state tournament. Burlington was upset in the first round by Rossville, but it didn’t overshadow Reed’s stellar junior season, in which he averaged 22.6 points, 6.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 steals per game. He then played extensively throughout the offseason with the Kansas City Pump-N-Run, teaming up with other top area recruits such as Travis Releford (Roeland Park Miege) and George Goode (Raytown (Mo.) South, committed to Louisville).
Reed ranks as the No. 99 recruit in the class of 2007 by rivals.com, and is also tapped as the No. 14 point guard prospect in the class.
“Tyrel has only lost two games in his (high school) basketball career,” Self said. “He lost in the state tournament last year at Burlington and I know his goal is to win a state championship this year. Stacy, his father, has done a great job coaching him and preparing him for the next level. We are excited to get another coach’s son in the program.”
For more on this story, read tomorrow’s Lawrence Journal-Word.
