Norman — Chastity Reed didn’t grow up learning the game of basketball like many players do. The Arkansas-Little Rock junior wasn’t a star on the AAU circuit and she didn’t go to shooting clinics every day after school.
Reed’s game was crafted on the streets of New Orleans, where at times she used trash cans for goals. The 6-foot-1, do-everything forward is so proud of her “Seventh Ward” roots that she added a keepsake that will let everyone know exactly where she comes from.
“I was trying to find something that represents New Orleans that I can put on me,” she said. “I do have a huge tattoo of the Superdome on my back, and if somebody looks at my tattoo, I want them to see something from New Orleans.”
While Reed’s foundation was laid within the Big Easy, it was in Little Rock where she has flourished as a ballplayer. Throughout her prep career, she was a self-described hustle player. The one who did a little of everything, but not enough to stand out.
That all changed two years into her time at UALR, when she began transforming into a dominant player.
“When I got here, I didn’t have to score much,” Reed said. “I had some players around me that took over. I was just a role player who had to get some rebounds and give somebody a break.”
That’s no longer the case. Averaging 25.3 points and 7.8 rebounds this year, Reed has already become the program’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. Her prowess is the biggest reason UALR went on a 21-game winning streak and is now in its first NCAA tournament. She will be a key figure in today’s matchup with Georgia Tech.
“I think Chastity is going to be important and she (needs to) gets off to a good start,” UALR coach Joe Foley said. “She needs to get some scoring going because she’s our top scorer and when she plays well, we have a tendency to play better.”
Whether she was in New Orleans or Texas, where she moved during high school, Reed had a plan. She wanted more from life than the world she grew up in had to offer.
“When I was in the 10th grade I was thinking I had to get away from down here,” Reed said of New Orleans. “Because there weren’t a lot of opportunities. And I really didn’t like the school system. And there was a lot of violence going on, so I felt I had to get away from all that and go to another city and try some new things out.”
Reed had few offers coming out of Irving (Texas) McArthur high school. One was to UALR, the other was to the University of New Orleans. She chose the latter and soon found that was a mistake. She decommitted and found a home in Little Rock.
“I think about my New Orleans, that’s where I grew up,” Reed said. “That’s where I learned to play basketball. That’s where my family is. There is no other place I would rather be than New Orleans, besides Little Rock.”
Reed’s coach couldn’t agree more.
“This is my 31st year of coaching and Chastity has made more change from freshman to sophomore than any player I have ever coached,” Foley said. “Chastity is the greatest competitor I have ever coached. Sometimes, too much of a competitor. Sometimes she lets her emotions take over too much when it comes to practice. Chastity isn’t happy unless she wins.”
But for Reed, it’s that never-say-die attitude that has gotten her to this point in her career. She’s been able to match her unyielding determination with immense talent to make a present and future for herself.
Michael Kinney 366-3537 mkinney@normantranscript.com
