By SAM LANCE
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — It seemed like every time New Heights Lightning needed a big offensive rebound or momentum shifting play to turn the tide at Peach Jam, it was Reggie Grodin to make it. The 6-foot-5 guard out the The Newman School had several huge moments.
But none were as critical as his two offensive boards in the fourth quarter vs. Team Thad in pool play. Both plays led to open kick out 3-pointers with NH Lightning needing a bucket. The Lightning went on to defeat Team Thad 61-53.
“Reggie is an amazing teammate, great shooter and very confident,” Amari Evans, a four-star guard on the Lightning, said. “I’d love to have him on my team any day.”
At Peach Jam, Grodin averaged 1.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 9.2 minutes per game for NH Lightning. He also grabbed a total of nine offensive rebounds in 55 minutes. To gauge this impact, if Grodin were to average 30 minutes per game, he’d be grabbing nearly five offensive rebounds per contest.
“We have so many talented dudes on our team man, I just try to find a role,” Grodin said. “I figure if I’m not going to get the ball one possession, then go get it and make a play. I pride myself on playing as hard as I can, making the little plays, and trying to find the cracks and grab rebounds. And I feel like I’m really good at it and have been utilizing it more.”
NH Lightning made the quarterfinals of Peach Jam and fell to the eventual tournament runner-up, the Oakland Soldiers, 70-64, in that round. Grodin played a huge role in getting NH Lightning there even with limited minutes.
“Reggie was an important piece to the team,” four-star forward Preston Fowler said. “He didn’t need to score to impact the game at all. He impacted on the defensive end and rebounding. He’s a good teammate who never complains even when the ball isn’t going his way. And he’s a guy who gave us great energy off the bench and we could always depend him to help the team.”
On the recruiting front, Grodin holds offers from Fordham and George Washington and has been hearing from some other A-10, CAA and Ivy League schools as well. He broke down the programs involved in his recruitment to ZAGSBLOG:
Fordham: “I really like Fordham. I went on an unofficial visit there. Campus is beautiful, 20 minutes from my house. Coach is super welcoming. Seems like the program is on an uptick. I’m going on an official visit there in September.”
George Washington: “Great academic school in a great conference. D.C. is a very attractive city. Coach [Chris] Cuputo is a great coach in a program that is on the come up.”
Colgate: “Colgate’s in the tournament every year. Super excited to go up there. It’s a great school. Their system is great. The coach is really good. I watch them a lot and they play really good basketball and I’m looking forward to going up there.”
Cornell: “I’m gonna take an unofficial visit hopefully in August or September. Their offense is built around shooters and built around moving the ball and cutting. I feel like I could really fit in that type of situation.”
Elon: “Yeah I mean I’m really interested in Elon. They’re really interested in me. It’s a Jewish school. I’m Jewish. I’m excited to get down there and see the campus, see what it’s all about.”
Stony Brook: “Stony Brook has been pretty involved. I definitely want to go up there for an unofficial. I really like Stony Brook. They made a big jump to the CAA conference. They lost in the championship but lost by one point to miss the tournament. But yeah, I’m definitely interested.”
The guard’s most recent offer is from George Washington, who were courtside to watch him on multiple occasions at Peach Jam. Grodin has grown in many areas in his game over the summer, likely leading to a spike in his recruitment.
“My athleticism has definitely grown,” Grodin said. “And I’ve been playing some really good defense. I feel like I’m locking people down, which I never really used to do. I used to be a liability, people would come right at me, but I welcome that stuff now and lock them up.”
Shooting the ball consistently from deep is where Grodin would like to improve most.
“I want to get it basically automatic,” Grodin said. “It’s a big part of my game usually and once I get that down it’s gonna be over. It’s gonna be tough to guard. I think it’ll be good for me.”
Grodin has some family ties to hoops.
“My dad over there [Rich Grodin], he didn’t play in college but he played professionally in Israel for a year or two,” Grodin said. “He was all right. I would still beat him. He was 6-foot-5 big. They don’t last that long.”
Grodin also has a younger brother and an older sister. His brother is a hooper and Grodin said “you’re going to see him here real soon.”
Another interesting connection Grodin has in basketball is Donovan Mitchell.
“He went to my old school and I kind of built a relationship with him,” Grodin said. “I watched him work out and he didn’t miss much. He gave me advice on the little things. I pride myself on the little things and he was teaching me like where to be in passing lanes, and different stuff like when you catch the ball, like rip through. Some little tweaks to my game which makes me a lot better.”
When choosing a final school, academics will play a huge role for Grodin.
“Location doesn’t matter to me,” Grodin said. “I’m gonna be in the gym all day. But I want a good academic school, good culture, good basketball culture like gym rats. Welcoming coaches. Coaches wanting me. I want to see hard work there. I want to see people communicating in practice. I want to see people just working hard.”
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