His hard-nosed, brash style turned plenty of heads during his star-crossed BYU basketball career. Though he's a world away, and though it's been two years since he's played competitively, Elder Robbie Reid is once again attracting attention.
And as he finishes up the final two months of his LDS mission in Greece, the former Cougar standout has a big decision to make.At Reid's request, BYU officially released the 6-foot-1 guard from his scholarship commitment two weeks ago. "We never stand in the way of a student-athlete who is not happy here," said Pete Witbeck, BYU's associate athletic director in charge of NCAA compliance.
As per NCAA rules, Reid is now free to sign with any school he chooses and will be immediately available to play next fall. He won't have to redshirt nor will he lose a year of eligibility.
And a host of big-name schools are showing interest.
Although he was scheduled to return from his mission the first week in June, Reid elected to extend his service until July 5. In the meantime, Reid has been receiving phone calls from coaches (as approved by his mission president, and only at designated times) and recruiting mail. Among the schools courting Reid: Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, Stanford, Virginia and Utah.
When he returns from his mission, Reid, like any other athlete on the open market, has the option of taking five recruiting trips. Of course, he could return to BYU, but considering the school fired his father, Roger, last December, Chris Burgess probably has a better chance of wearing a Cougar uniform.
Not that new BYU coach Steve Cleveland hasn't tried to persuade Robbie to reconsider the Cougars. Shortly after his hiring, Cleveland talked at length to Roger about the situation and has written Robbie.
But BYU may have lost the point guard even before Roger lost his job. Disenchanted by the real and perceived controversies stemming from playing on the same team with his brother, Randy, and for Roger, Robbie strongly implied his playing days in Provo were over prior to his mission.
So why all the fuss over Reid? Simple. He's a tremendous athlete and a proven winner. As a sophomore in 1995, Robbie finished second in the WAC in assists, third in steals and ninth in 3-pointers per game. He was also named to the All-WAC defensive team and was generally considered the conference's best playmaker. "When Robbie was here," Roger said, "we won 50 games."
And, remember, as a freshman, Robbie sunk that huge 3-pointer that gave BYU a close win over Utah in Salt Lake in January, 1994. By the way, that's the last time a Cougar basketball team won at the Huntsman Center.
In a super-sized irony, the next time Robbie launches 3s, it could be for the Runnin' Utes.
Roger, for one, wouldn't mind seeing his son wearing the crimson and white. "He deserves to be on a great team," he said. "Utah is a good program. It would be close to home and I'd like to see my son play."
But, he adds firmly, "It's his decision. Not mine."
After completing a stellar high school career at Spanish Fork High, where he was valedictorian of his class and earned a perfect 4.0 GPA, Reid was selected in the 40th round of the Major League Baseball draft (he's a left-handed pitcher).
As a basketball player, he was also one of the most prolific high school scorers the state has ever seen. Reid was recruited by Arizona, UCLA and other top hoop programs. Instead, he decided to help his father and play without a grant-in-aid his freshman season.
Though he received a scholarship the following year, attending BYU was a decision, in some respects, he later said he regretted.
Now that he's about to come home, Roger said Robbie's ready for a fresh start. "He loves BYU," said Roger. "He went there because of his dad. But now he's got to do what's best for him."