Tyrel Reed, who had missed four of seven games primarily because of ankle sprains, had his best game in five weeks Saturday against Yale.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Kansas University freshman from Burlington scored eight points off 3-of-3 shooting – including a pair of threes – and had a steal while playing 10 minutes of the Jayhawks’ 86-53 victory over the Bulldogs.
It was by far Reed’s best personal performance since his eight-point, five-assist, 21-minute outing against Northern Arizona on Nov. 21.
“To be candid, Tyrel since he turned his ankle has not played as well or as confidently as he did before,” KU coach Bill Self said. “It was good to see him make shots, get the lid off so he could get his confidence.
“He’s a good player. We told him that (day before Yale game), but he hasn’t played with the same confidence as before he got hurt. A lot of that is, he puts pressure on himself. He played very well, as evidenced by scoring eight points on three shots.”
Reed was caught under Darnell Jackson and twisted his right ankle in the closing seconds of the first half of KU’s overtime victory over Arizona on Nov. 25.
He missed two games, then sprained the other ankle in his return game – a solid three-rebound, three-assist, two-point, 15-minute outing against Eastern Washington on Dec. 5.
Reed since then missed two games and played 14 minutes total against Ohio and Miami of Ohio, missing four shots, including three threes leading up to the Yale game.
“Coach knows I’m a good player,” Reed said, asked about Self’s words of encouragement. “He knows I need to go out there and play the game and not worry about it, stop thinking.”
What was the difference against Yale?
“The injuries have finally gone away. I think I was more relaxed. I’ve been kind of tense and not really going out and having fun,” Reed said. “I tried to do a better job of not thinking so much.”
For the year, Reed has made 14 of 27 shots for 51.9 percent, including nine of 19 threes for 47.4 percent. He has 12 assists against just two turnovers.
“Just being a good teammate,” Reed said, asked his goals for the remainder of the season. “I am not worried about playing or anything like that. I know it’ll all come in time. I am just going out there trying to win every game. That’s a team goal.
“I’ll do whatever coach wants. Coach wants me to be ready.”
Self is convinced Reed will impact the KU program.
“A lot of guys say they want it. Tyrel decided he wanted it and went after it,” Self said of the small-school player earning a major-college scholarship. “He drove from Burlington to Lawrence three days a week to work with a strength-and-conditioning coach the last four years. He shot every day at 6 a.m. during his high school career – every day. If you want it that bad, you make it happen. He’s made it happen, and he has ability, above everything else.”
The No. 3-rated Jayhawks’ next game will be against Boston College at 11 a.m. Saturday at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The Eagles take a 9-2 record into tonight’s home game against Longwood.