Tarris Reed brings his large personality to Michigan basketball

Brian Boesch, the play-by-play voice of Michigan basketball, has turned his Defend the Block podcast into a must-listen. The past few weeks, he has been talking with each of the incoming freshman. On Tuesday, it was Tarris Reed’s turn, who explained his career so far, as well as his strengths and weaknesses, as well as this awesome, candid answer as to why he committed to Michigan.

“I didn’t know if it was the right decision at the time, because at the time I wanted to go to another school,” said Reed. “It was hard making that decision. But looking back at it now I’m like okay, I have to write down the pro’s and con’s. Which school is the best fit for me, coaching and long term? It was Michigan. I’m glad I made that decision. Playing under coach Howard and just the workouts were doing every day - they’re pretty fun.”

When pressed on what was on the pros part of the pros and cons list, he said, “I’d say a great staff, great culture, great facility. Coming in I get to learn from one of the best players in college basketball. I get to play with him and compete against him in practice. That’s going to help me.”

Michigan picked up Reed’s commitment over a bevy of Big Ten schools such as Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue. The 6-foot-10 freshman from Missouri talked about how he never intentionally sought out predominantly Big Ten schools. Further into his recruitment process, he realized his skillset must be well-suited for Big Ten basketball.

A four star recruit and the 40th ranked player in the country in his class, Reed plays a bruising, physical brand of basketball that certainly fits into the Big Ten mold.

Reed also spoke about his acclimation to college so far, especially in regards to big men being needed to shoot.

“Shooting’s a big thing, but defensively you have to be pretty active,” said Reed. “Talking to Sandman (strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson) the other day, defensively switching off the pick and roll, being able to switch off a one, two, and being able to guard a wing, being aggressive not only on the offensive side, but also the defensive side. That’s one thing I feel like I’m really good at, especially ball screen coverages.”

Finally, Reed talked about how he likes to unwind and get away from basketball. He highlighted his love of reading and mentioned he plays the saxophone. He even played the saxophone for his grandma during the pandemic.

Reed’s infectious personality certainly shined during the interview and he seems likely to become a fan favorite in Ann Arbor.