- Joined
- Nov 3, 2008
- Messages
- 5,172
- Reaction score
- 1,386
- Points
- 113
Reid Travis Talks Richard Pitino, Recruiting and Winning State Title
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/245391?referrer_id=331171
Reid Travis, a 6-foot-7 junior forward from Minneapolis DeLaSalle, led the Islanders to their second straight Class AAA state title last month and was named the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year.
GopherHole.com caught up with Travis Thursday night to learn the latest on his junior season, winning another state title, the new Minnesota head coach and his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What was your reaction to the hiring of the new Minnesota head coach?
Reid Travis: I was pretty surprised. I hadn’t heard of him before or hear him in the discussion, but after what I have looked into, I see that he is a pretty good coach and all the legacy that he is coming from. A good family, so I am pretty excited to get along with the recruiting process.
Gopher Hole: Did you look him up on the Internet or do some research?
Reid Travis: I looked him up a little bit from what I heard from bits and pieces of people telling me around where he is from and what he did and where he at, at FIU. That is kind of where I got my info from.
Gopher Hole: How much does it change your recruitment with the University of Minnesota?
Reid Travis: It doesn’t change too much. I was looking at it as a school first, in the first place, so now it is just trying to build a new relationship with the coaching staff.
Gopher Hole: Have you talked to anyone yet?
Reid Travis: No. I haven’t been contacted.
Gopher Hole: How about the AAU change? You are now on the Pulley team. What was the main reason for the switch?
Reid Travis: I just wanted to play in the EYBL and kind of test the waters there. No disrespect to anyone over there at Pump and Run or Minnesota D1 or anything like that, but I kind of just wanted to test everything and see out it was and see a different aspect of AAU.
Gopher Hole: Obviously, when you play on the adidas circuit, you are playing against adidas guy. Now, you will be playing against that you might never have played against. Is that something you are kind of excited about seeing some new faces out there and compared yourself to them?
Reid Travis: Yes, for sure. From what I have heard, the EYBL is the best place for high school basketball, so I am trying to get into that league and see what I can make myself out of.
Gopher Hole: You are playing with Tyus Jones, who is being recruited by some of the same schools as you. What is that like to play with another talented point guard. You play with a good point guard in Jarvis Johnson in high school, but what has it been like to play with Tyus so far?
Reid Travis: It was great. Of course on the next level, you are going to be playing against guys just like you and playing with guys just like you that are high caliber, so why not do that now?
Gopher Hole: Have you made any plans to visit any schools in the near future?
Reid Travis: No. I probably should in the near future, but it is wide-open right now.
Gopher Hole: What about football. What is the latest there? Any new offers or any new schools that you are hearing from for football?
Reid Travis: No. Rutgers offered about two weeks ago, so that is probably the newest one.
Gopher Hole: How does winning the state title recently compare to last year?
Reid Travis: They are two different titles obviously, but this one was real special. For the three seniors, it was nice to let them go out with a bang.
Gopher Hole: Last year, you weren’t considered the favorite and had to hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer to win that one. This year, you were expected to win it all. Did that make it a little more pressure on you because you knew that every game you were going to get guys your opponent’s best game?
Reid Travis: I wouldn’t say pressure, I would just say that it made it tougher on me because every team had that bullseye on our back and we got their best shot. Last year, we kind of the sleeper and the underdogs, so we kind of surprised a couple of teams, but this year, we got the best bullet from everybody.
Gopher Hole: Which role do you like better being under the radar or being considered the best team?
Reid Travis: I don’t mid it. Either way, it worked out, so I can’t complain.
Gopher Hole: The DeLaSalle girls won three straight title, so there is going to be plenty of discussion about you winning a third straight. You have a lot of guys back. Is that something you have talked about?
Reid Travis: We are just trying to digest this win and probably take some time until the summer workouts and start all over again.
Gopher Hole: What things are you going to be working on to continue to improve yourself as a player?
Reid Travis: I would just say my guard skills. That is the biggest things for me because I know that in college I can’t play the center and play in the post all the time, so just improving my shooting and handles.
Gopher Hole: You have James Lawson and Jarvis Johnson playing with you on the Pulley team. How much do you think that helps you having high school teammates playing with you AAU-wise in terms of getting good chemistry not only AAU-wise but for the high school season.
Reid Travis: It helps a lot for chemistry, of course. You are with them all summer and start to really grow bonds with these guys and really start to care about them.
Gopher Hole: How many offers are you up to for basketball right now? Do you even keep track anymore?
Reid Travis: Something like 32
Gopher Hole: How about for Football?
Reid Travis: 3 (Iowa, Rutgers and Boston College).
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/245391?referrer_id=331171
Reid Travis, a 6-foot-7 junior forward from Minneapolis DeLaSalle, led the Islanders to their second straight Class AAA state title last month and was named the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year.
GopherHole.com caught up with Travis Thursday night to learn the latest on his junior season, winning another state title, the new Minnesota head coach and his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What was your reaction to the hiring of the new Minnesota head coach?
Reid Travis: I was pretty surprised. I hadn’t heard of him before or hear him in the discussion, but after what I have looked into, I see that he is a pretty good coach and all the legacy that he is coming from. A good family, so I am pretty excited to get along with the recruiting process.
Gopher Hole: Did you look him up on the Internet or do some research?
Reid Travis: I looked him up a little bit from what I heard from bits and pieces of people telling me around where he is from and what he did and where he at, at FIU. That is kind of where I got my info from.
Gopher Hole: How much does it change your recruitment with the University of Minnesota?
Reid Travis: It doesn’t change too much. I was looking at it as a school first, in the first place, so now it is just trying to build a new relationship with the coaching staff.
Gopher Hole: Have you talked to anyone yet?
Reid Travis: No. I haven’t been contacted.
Gopher Hole: How about the AAU change? You are now on the Pulley team. What was the main reason for the switch?
Reid Travis: I just wanted to play in the EYBL and kind of test the waters there. No disrespect to anyone over there at Pump and Run or Minnesota D1 or anything like that, but I kind of just wanted to test everything and see out it was and see a different aspect of AAU.
Gopher Hole: Obviously, when you play on the adidas circuit, you are playing against adidas guy. Now, you will be playing against that you might never have played against. Is that something you are kind of excited about seeing some new faces out there and compared yourself to them?
Reid Travis: Yes, for sure. From what I have heard, the EYBL is the best place for high school basketball, so I am trying to get into that league and see what I can make myself out of.
Gopher Hole: You are playing with Tyus Jones, who is being recruited by some of the same schools as you. What is that like to play with another talented point guard. You play with a good point guard in Jarvis Johnson in high school, but what has it been like to play with Tyus so far?
Reid Travis: It was great. Of course on the next level, you are going to be playing against guys just like you and playing with guys just like you that are high caliber, so why not do that now?
Gopher Hole: Have you made any plans to visit any schools in the near future?
Reid Travis: No. I probably should in the near future, but it is wide-open right now.
Gopher Hole: What about football. What is the latest there? Any new offers or any new schools that you are hearing from for football?
Reid Travis: No. Rutgers offered about two weeks ago, so that is probably the newest one.
Gopher Hole: How does winning the state title recently compare to last year?
Reid Travis: They are two different titles obviously, but this one was real special. For the three seniors, it was nice to let them go out with a bang.
Gopher Hole: Last year, you weren’t considered the favorite and had to hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer to win that one. This year, you were expected to win it all. Did that make it a little more pressure on you because you knew that every game you were going to get guys your opponent’s best game?
Reid Travis: I wouldn’t say pressure, I would just say that it made it tougher on me because every team had that bullseye on our back and we got their best shot. Last year, we kind of the sleeper and the underdogs, so we kind of surprised a couple of teams, but this year, we got the best bullet from everybody.
Gopher Hole: Which role do you like better being under the radar or being considered the best team?
Reid Travis: I don’t mid it. Either way, it worked out, so I can’t complain.
Gopher Hole: The DeLaSalle girls won three straight title, so there is going to be plenty of discussion about you winning a third straight. You have a lot of guys back. Is that something you have talked about?
Reid Travis: We are just trying to digest this win and probably take some time until the summer workouts and start all over again.
Gopher Hole: What things are you going to be working on to continue to improve yourself as a player?
Reid Travis: I would just say my guard skills. That is the biggest things for me because I know that in college I can’t play the center and play in the post all the time, so just improving my shooting and handles.
Gopher Hole: You have James Lawson and Jarvis Johnson playing with you on the Pulley team. How much do you think that helps you having high school teammates playing with you AAU-wise in terms of getting good chemistry not only AAU-wise but for the high school season.
Reid Travis: It helps a lot for chemistry, of course. You are with them all summer and start to really grow bonds with these guys and really start to care about them.
Gopher Hole: How many offers are you up to for basketball right now? Do you even keep track anymore?
Reid Travis: Something like 32
Gopher Hole: How about for Football?
Reid Travis: 3 (Iowa, Rutgers and Boston College).
