Roger Reid (basketball)

Roger L. Reid (born August 3, 1946) is an American former college basketball coach who most recently guided the Southern Utah University (SUU) men's basketball team. He served as head coach at Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1989 to 1996 and assistant coach for the NBA's Phoenix Suns. He has also coached at the high school, junior college and international levels. In addition, he played for former NBA coach Dick Motta at Weber State University.

High school and college

Reid attended Springville High School in Springville, Utah and was an all-state performer in both baseball and basketball. He went on to play both sports at the College of Eastern Utah and was recognized as a junior college All-American in baseball. Reid concluded his collegiate playing days at Weber State earning all conference honors in baseball both seasons he played and was also a key player for coach Dick Motta's Big Sky Conference championship team in basketball.

Minor League Baseball

After finishing college, Reid was drafted and played professionally, as a shortstop, for both the Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox minor league farm systems over four seasons (eventually playing at the AAA level).

Coaching career

High school

In 1971, Reid embarked on his basketball coaching career at Payson High School in Utah. He compiled a 50–26 in three seasons before moving on to Clearfield High School in 1974. He finished coaching at the northern Utah high school with a 60–24 record.

BYU

Reid became a member of Frank Arnold's staff at BYU in 1978 and stayed on as an assistant under LaDell Andersen when he replaced Arnold. He was named as BYU head coach in 1989. His BYU teams were consistent winners and Reid led them to a 152–77 (.667) record. BYU also made five NCAA Tournament appearances, won three conference regular season titles and two conference tournament championships during his tenure.

His success did not prevent him from being disliked by some BYU fans and players. Reid's sons, Randy and Robbie (both heavily recruited by other schools), decided to play for their father at BYU. Some disgruntled alumni were not pleased that the Reids were playing for the Cougars, and some insinuated that Reid's decision to play his sons amounted to nepotism. By 1996, Reid's coaching future at BYU was in doubt. Some school administrators strongly suggested that getting Chris Burgess—a highly touted player from Irvine, California—to play for the Cougars, could save Reid's job. Burgess was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his father had played for BYU, which is owned by the Church. In the end, Burgess told Reid that he was going to play for Duke. Upon hearing this, Reid allegedly told him that he had let down all members of the LDS church. Reid was dismissed as BYU head coach on December 17, 1996, shortly after the recruiting incident. Reid has stated since then that his remarks to Burgess were taken out of context. BYU had started the season 1–7 after being decimated by injuries; assistant Tony Ingle replaced Reid for the rest of what would become a 1–25 season—the worst in school history. Reid's comments to Burgess have frequently been cited by the media and many associated with BYU as the primary reason for Reid's dismissal. While they were a factor in the decision, athletic director Rondo Fehlberg primarily cited concerns about sluggish attendance; despite recent conference success, his team was struggling to draw half-capacity crowds for even the most significant home games in the 22,700-seat Marriott Center. Other factors included the old charges of nepotism, as well as the slow start to the 1996–97 season.

Reid's son, Robbie, did not return to BYU after serving a two-year LDS church mission to Greece. He attended the University of Michigan instead and became a two-year starter for the Wolverines to close out his college basketball career.

Phoenix Suns

Reid was hired by former BYU and NBA player Danny Ainge to be an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns. During his five years with the Suns they made two playoff appearances.

Hangzhou Horses

Reid coached the Hangzhou Horses in China's top professional league for two years.

Snow College

On May 9, 2005, Reid was hired as the head basketball coach for the Snow College Badgers. His teams at Snow compiled an overall record of 33–28 in two seasons including a 23–8 mark for the 2006–2007 season.

Southern Utah

On March 14, 2007, SUU President Michael Benson announced the hiring of Roger Reid to replace Coach Bill Evans. Reid coached for five seasons, then retired from coaching on March 8, 2012.

Reid finished his run at Southern Utah with a 54–97 record.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Roger
1946 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in China
American Latter Day Saints
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Appleton Foxes players
Arizona Instructional League Braves players
BYU Cougars men's basketball coaches
College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
Greenwood Braves players
High school basketball coaches in the United States
Lynchburg White Sox players
Phoenix Suns assistant coaches
Place of birth missing (living people)
Richmond Braves players
Snow Badgers men's basketball coaches
Southern Utah Thunderbirds men's basketball coaches
Utah State Eastern Golden Eagles baseball players
Weber State Wildcats men's basketball players