Copyright Baton Rouge Advocate
A Florida State turnover triggered an outlet pass to Jalen Reed, who finished a routine right-hand layup. The 6-foot-10 LSU forward's takeoff looked normal, but he felt his jump was slightly off. As the ball tickled the net, he landed on his right foot a little early. The result robbed Reed of the rest of his season. “It felt like my leg fell off,” Reed said. “It was one of the scariest feelings of my life.” The junior lay sprawled on the Pete Maravich Assembly Center court, stunned one minute and 46 seconds into the game on Dec. 3. He learned the next day that the pop he heard in his right knee was his ACL tearing. Falena Hughes’ maternal instincts activated. After driving two hours and 45 minutes from her Mississippi home to watch her son, she left her seat to comfort him in the training room where they watched the rest of LSU’s 85-75 win over Florida State on TV. The victory temporarily put Reed and his mom in better spirits. His teammates spoke with him, and he reciprocated their positivity, but his personal disappointment was simmering. “After they left, I broke down for a few hours,” he said. “I knew my season had come to an end. I wanted to be there for my guys more than anything.” This was a new experience for Reed. He never had to give up the game he loved for a prolonged period. It also meant his first surgery ever. After an MRI confirmed his fears, Reed wiped away his final tears with his mom by his side. He stopped feeling sorry for himself and embraced a new mindset. “This is not the end of my story,” Reed said. “I'm gonna fight back. Whatever it takes to get back to where I need to be, that's what I'm gonna do. So from rehab, from that day forward, I took it serious, like it was a game.” Reed, 22, possessed a fervor for his physical and mental healing. That’s how he recovered nearly two months ahead of the anticipated 12-month process. He is ready to get back on the court, starting with LSU’s season opener against Tarleton State at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the PMAC. “I think he'll be one of the great stories in college basketball this season,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said. “Been an inspiration watching how he's committed to the work to get back and not only to the floor, but the growth from a mindset and leadership standpoint. I really think he'll have a monster year for us, and really proud to have an opportunity to coach him.” 'Late bloomer' Reed woke up after his ACL surgery on Dec. 12 to the sight of his mother, McMahon and LSU athletic trainer Shawn Eddy. Reed’s mom recalls his first words being reserved for McMahon: “Coach, how was practice?” “I don't even remember hearing, ‘Hey, Mama,’ ” Hughes said with a laugh. While he loves his mom, who he sports a tattoo of her name, Reed's focus was on his basketball team. Now that he is so close to playing games again, he’s excited to pick up where he left off, averaging 12.4 points on 59.6% shooting and 7.4 rebounds per game in the first seven games of last season. The Tigers would like to see even more this season. McMahon doesn't expect Reed to be that player immediately. Exercising patience as he reacclimates to the game is important. Just as important is to have fun again in his “happy place.” Not being asked to carry a team actually is a return to Reed's roots as a self-proclaimed “late bloomer.” Before he stood at a chiseled 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, he was a bench warmer at Alston Middle School. He was a scrawny 5-9 high school freshman point guard who rarely played. At the start of his sophomore year, he sprouted to 6-5 but still wasn’t close to a starter. “He’s one of those stories where for him to be where he is now, I guess you wouldn't have seen that coming based on how ... he barely played,” Hughes said. “He wasn't the main option, nowhere near none of that.” His journey was one of patience to develop into a stronger and more skilled player as he competed against the best in the country. As a sophomore at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, he trained alongside former LSU star and Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas. After his senior season at Southern California Academy, he became McMahon’s first commitment in the 2022 class. Loyalty to LSU Reed started off slow as a freshman in the Southeastern Conference, the same league his late dad Justin Reed excelled in for four years at Ole Miss. He was in his head. Reed had the ballhandling chops to initiate the offense at times, but he struggled. He lost his starting position after 11 games and finished the season averaging 3.7 points per game. The lackluster year didn’t cause any shift in how McMahon viewed Reed. He wanted him back no matter what. “I didn't perform like I could have and like I should have,” Reed said about his freshman season. “And honestly, deep down, I didn't even feel like I deserved it all that much.” More than any particular basketball skill, LSU wanted Reed to return because of who he is as a person, which epitomizes McMahon’s coaching philosophy. “So many players today think it's an overnight success deal,” McMahon said. “He's been bought into understanding the work that goes into it. "He has so much passion and pride in representing LSU, and that's why he has stayed and, yeah, I want him to be the face of our program." The difficult parts of player development didn’t scare either coach or player. Reed steadily got better during his sophomore year while starting 20 games, and he was in the midst of a breakout last season. Even with three straight years of LSU not making the NCAA Tournament, Reed is a believer in his coaches' plan and wants to repay their investment in him with his play in purple and gold.
