Prospect Spotlight: Reece Held (2020)

Murray point guard Reece Held is emerging as one of the state's most productive small-school players, and is planning on turning some more heads as the year unfolds.

His ability to read defenses and beat them with his basketball IQ is a strength. And even though at 5-foot-9 he’s on the smaller side, Held has worked to neutralize that with his offensive arsenal.

“My playing style is knowing when to push the ball and knowing when to slow it down. I know I’m smaller than most kids I match up against so I work on getting shots up over taller players and that helps me finish around the rim,” said Held.

Murray is off to an 11-3 start this season, and Held is averaging 15.9 points, 5.6 assists, 2.8 steals and 4.6 rebounds per game, all team-bests.

Held says his individual success success is a result of the chemistry he has with his teammates.

“Team-wise, we have great chemistry and have been playing together since we were kids. Being able to know you have four teammates on the floor that have your back is a game changer,” said Held, who laid out the goals for the rest of the season.

“Goals as a team are to win our conference tournament and get a good seeding in our district and hopefully win our district and get to substrate. Our goal is getting through districts before we look ahead,” said Held. “Individual goals are cutting down on my turnovers and working on involving teammates more and work on my game management.”

When his junior season is finished, Held will play club ball with Iowa Cornsharks 17U. That’s when he’s hoping to see his currently stagnant recruitment start to ramp up.

“I have no offers and no colleges have got a hold of me yet,” said Held. “This offseason, I’m looking to go to bigger tournaments for AAU, and to be noticed by any coaches.”