Michigan basketball: Tarris Reed Jr. talks challenges of college transition, learning from Hunter Dickinson, Juwan Howard

Michigan Wolverines basketball freshman big man Tarris Reed Jr. is big at 6-foot-9 and tough in the low post, but he’s the first to admit acclimating to college hasn’t been easy. Reed and his freshman classmates are taking classes and participating in Michigan’s offseason workout program. The squad will head to Europe in a matter of days to play three scrimmages. All told, there’s a lot on his plate, and it can sometimes be hard to handle, even for one of the top recruits in the country.

“The first few weeks, they’ve been pretty hard — I’m not going to lie — but I see myself getting acclimated to it,” the No. 29 overall player in the 2022 class per the On3 Consenus said on the Defend The Block podcast with Brian Boesch. “I’ve got to thank Link Academy for last year. I felt that really prepared me for this college lifestyle on and off the court. Coming in here, I was prepared, but it’s been a challenge. I’ve been doing well.”

Added the Michigan freshman: “The best of both worlds — academics and basketball wise — trying to manage your time, build better habits and depend on your habits to carry you throughout the day. You have to go to class right after practice when you’re tired, then go to another class, then after you have to lift, then you have to do it all over again every day. It’s been pretty challenging at first, but I see myself and the guys getting used to it now.

“Definitely in college it’s a lot more than high school. Going to a prep school, which I did last year, it really did help me, because I see myself doing the same habits there and bringing them to college. But of course, college is more ramped up. So I see myself using those habits I did last year, taking them here and keep building off that.”

RELATED

• Michigan basketball freshmen are already forming a strong bond

• Michigan frosh Jett Howard wants to break the ‘shooter’ stereotype

Michigan a great fit

Going back to his decision to choose Michigan, which was almost exactly one year ago, Reed said he was happy but nervous. He was considering Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Michigan State, too.

“I didn’t know if it was the right decision at the time,” Reed admitted.

But now that he’s on campus, some of the things he wrote down on his pros and cons list have already come to fruition — more pros than cons.

“Looking back at it now, I’m like, OK, I have to write down the pros and cons, which school fits the best for me, coaching and long term, it was Michigan,” Reed explained. “So I’m glad I made that decision. Playing under [head] Coach [Juwan] Howard, just the workouts we’re doing every day, they’re pretty fun.”

The entire experience, while challenging, has been helpful in preparing him for his freshman season at Michigan. Reed will most likely play a significant role this winter, even though a potential preseason All-American — junior center Hunter Dickinson — sits in front of him on the depth chart. Facing Dickinson in workouts has been a positive.

“Great staff, great culture, great facility,” Reed continued of Michigan. “Coming in, I get to learn from one of the best players in college basketball, so I get to play with him and compete against him in practice, so that’s going to help me.

“The coaching style — Coach Howard, [associate head coach Phil] Martelli, [assistants Saddi] Washington, [Howard] Eisley, all of them, everyone on that staff has been through it, they’ve seen a lot. Especially from the NBA level, their perspective, that will help me in the long run.”

Keeping it simple

Reed has some of the skills of a typical Big Ten big man. He’s physical and can score on the block. But he also has some flair to his game, too, and has heard comparisons to former NBA standout David West and current Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid. Reed can step out and hit perimeter shots, and has the quickness to defend smaller players.

“I bring a little extra to it, which is pretty skill,” Reed said of the Big Ten’s style. “I’ve got a little different skill set than the others, but that’s what I am — a Big Ten basketball player.”

Still, he’s working on keeping things simple at the start of his Michigan career.

“I was talking to my pops a couple days ago. I’m like, ‘Pops, my shot’s not falling here, I feel like I’m not shooting as well as I could. Last year, I felt like I was shooting great. I come here, I’m not shooting as well, I feel like I’m not showing off my skill set,'” Reed revealed. “He was like, ‘Do what you do best, and do it more often. Keep it simple. You don’t have to show everything you have now — just stick with the basics.’ I’m just going in here like, OK, do what I do.

“He helped me, because I wanted to come in here and show everything I got. No, you gotta stay the course, you’ve gotta stay down, stay low.”

In that respect, he’s learning from Dickinson, Michigan’s centerpiece.

“He keeps it so, so simple — like super simple,” Reed said of the 7-foot-1 center. “Sometimes, it’s like, what the heck? Just trying to guard him sometimes is pretty hard and difficult, just hitting you with jump hooks, running floaters, running hooks. Just a simple game. And that’s why I’m trying to bring my game to just bring it basic. Like I said, do what you do best, and do it often.”