Shavar Reynolds relishing his final collegiate chapter as Monmouth’s leader

With his confidence restored and his conscience clear, Shavar Reynolds is embracing change of pace in his graduate season at Monmouth. (Photo by Monmouth University Athletics)

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — The story of Shavar Reynolds and his rise from Big East walk-on to indispensable part of Kevin Willard’s program the past several years at Seton Hall has been told so many times to a point where nearly every New Jersey basketball fan has committed it to memory. But what has remained unwritten in some circles is how the modern-day college basketball rags-to-riches saga has been allowed to close as Reynolds, now a graduate transfer at Monmouth, is unwinding his career on his terms in perhaps the most prosperous environment the Manchester Township native has been exposed to and permitted to infiltrate.

Reynolds’ impact is still felt almost instantaneously, just as it was less than an hour to the north when he served as a wing man to the likes of Myles Powell, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jared Rhoden and Myles Cale at Seton Hall, helping quarterback the Pirates to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. However, the starting point guard role that has come with the ability to play looser and more freely at Monmouth has given him free rein to impart his wisdom and lead by example at the same time.

“It’s been lovely,” Reynolds said of his experience to date with the Hawks, fresh off a 76-64 victory over in-state rival Princeton Wednesday night. “It’s a totally different experience. It’s more personal because I just get to play. I don’t want to get too in depth, but I just get to play basketball again and enjoy it, have fun again.”

“I just love the group. Everybody wants to get better. There’s no egos, no selfishness, I just enjoy it again. There’s no pressure, I don’t have to look over my shoulder, I just have fun. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, because I think in all this, you can really lose that because you’re trying to pursue a dream for so long that you lose it. Go out there and just play, enjoy the game, because you’ve been doing this your whole life.”

Reynolds’ eyes lit up when he spoke of the freedom he has to play his game and not worry about doing too much, a byproduct of his relationship with head coach King Rice, a former point guard in his own right who has learned — like most others — that his newest player’s intangibles are truly impossible to quantify in finite values.

“It’s everything,” Rice said of Reynolds and the effect his leadership has provided to the Hawks as a whole. “And I’ve told this story, when we first talked on the phone, we FaceTimed, and I did the calling on him. Usually, the other guys do, but I called him, he answered, we were looking at each other, I’m like, ‘Hey, what’s happening?’ And his first thing was, “Coach, I want to lead the country in assists. I said, ‘Okay, what else?’ Because I’m waiting for him to tell me he needs the ball in his hands, he needs this many shots because that’s what every super senior does, especially coming down a little bit. And then he goes, ‘Coach, I just need someone to really believe in me as a coach.”

“And now, I started thinking someone put him up to this. That’s who I am. I’m going to make you believe in yourself on the basketball court, and when you show me you can do it, I’m going to let you rock and you’re going to know I’m behind you and I got your back. Then he asked me about Sam Chaput and Myles Ruth, and he was like, ‘how are they gonna feel with me coming in as an older dude?’ And right then, I knew I needed this guy on my team because of those qualities, and he’s been ten times better than all the things that he said.”