Tarris Reed Jr. flashes upside in brief exhibition performance

It’s hard living in someone’s shadow, especially in one cast by a player as talented as Hunter Dickinson. But that’s a position Tarris Reed Jr. found himself as a freshman. He never started a game or scored more than eight points.

But in a 92-45 exhibition win over Northwood, Reed stepped out of that shadow. While the welcoming party might’ve been small — it was an exhibition for the crowd, too — Reed showed everyone in the building that he can answer the Wolverines’ questions now that Dickinson is gone.

“Tarris is a byproduct of the laboratory Juwan Howard creates,” associate head coach Phil Martelli said, noting that assistant coach Jay Smith also helped Reed train since Howard has been sidelined by heart surgery. “… Tarris is a very confident young guy, and now it’s a different situation. So when Hunter made his decision, Tarris was aware that ‘You know what, a lot goes onto my shoulders.”

Reed showed his potential to bear that load. Playing only a fraction of the first half before resting for the night, Reed put up 13 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.