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Birthdate
June 7, 1971
High School
Medford H.S.
Medford, Okla.
College Education
Dartmouth College ‘93
Rutgers University, ‘95
Master of Education
Playing Experience
Dartmouth College, 1989-93
Two-Time All-Ivy League
Three-Time Team MVP
Coaching Career
Rutgers University
Assistant Coach, 1993-95
University of Illinois
Assistant Coach, 1995-98
Recruiting Coordinator, 1999-present
Associate Head Coach, 2002-present
Indiana University
Assistant Coach, 1998-99
Renee Reed came back to Illinois when the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator position opened in 1999. Prior to that year, Reed had been alongside Grentz for five seasons -- two at Rutgers and three at Illinois.
Like Grentz, Reed is a visionary, understanding all the peripherals that complete the atmosphere of successful programs. In her first stint with the Illini program, Reed oversaw the emergence of the Theresa Grentz Summer Camps, which attracted more than 2,000 participants in 1998. She also worked with the marketing and promotions arms of the athletic department to coordinate Hometown Heroes stops. She took the lead in organizing the highly successful NIKE Coaches Clinic at Illinois, which drew over 200 coaches.
A self-proclaimed lifelong student, Reed has shared her wealth of knowledge at summer camps and clinics and set up youth clinics and team appearances throughout the season in the area.
"We knew it was vital to our success to make sure the community was involved," noted Reed. "Our goal was for every girl in the state to dream of playing basketball at the University of Illinois."
Reed relishes the role as recruiting coordinator and helped bring in one of the top five recruiting classes in the country in 2000.
This year’s class includes two of the top guards out of the state of Ohio -- Tiffanie Guthrie, the MVP of the 2000 AAU Summer Tournament, and Jere Issenmann, a starter for one of the top girl’s basketball programs in the country, Mason High School. Reed and the rest of the staff also garnered the top ranked player in the Chicago Public League, Angelina Williams.
This talented class followed one ranked in the top seven in the country that included Aminata Yanni, the leading scorer in the WBCA All-America game, and Big Ten All-Freshman performer Iveta Marcauskaite.
Reed understands that recruiting is a year-round process that includes on and off campus visits, and identifying and evaluating prospects both during the season and during summer camps and tournaments.
Reed is an avid writer, having published articles in various periodicals on campus and in the women’s basketball community.
On the court, Reed works extensively with the guards and small forwards in individual workouts during the off-season. She plays a vital role in breaking down the film and scouting future opponents. She conducted the team’s pre-season conditioning activities in ’95, ’96 and ’97. Reed is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Prior to coming to Illinois, Reed served as restricted earnings coach at Rutgers for two seasons.
In addition to coaching, she was responsible for directing the summer camps and youth clinics, handling the film exchange and assisting in film breakdown and on court workouts.
As much as the staff expects of its players, Reed understands the coaches never stop learning and honing their skills. That's why she left Illinois for a year to join the Indiana program, which enabled her to further her role in recruiting, on and off-campus. A quick learner, Reed helped recruit six quality players which comprised one of the most talented classes in the 90s in Bloomington.
"As our recruiting coordinator, Renee matches skills with some of the best in the business," said Grentz. "As is evident in her first class, we are very fortunate to have someone of her ambition and vision in that role."
A 1993 graduate of Dartmouth, Reed was a four-year basketball letterwinner for the Big Green. She earned MVP honors three times and served as captain as a senior. Reed also was a two-time All-Ivy League selection.
Off the court, Reed was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and twice earned Academic All-Ivy League honors. She used the prestigious NCAA postgraduate scholarship to pursue a master of education degree in higher education administration, which she completed in 1995 at Rutgers.
A native of Medford, Okla., Reed was a four-time all-state selection in track and an all-state selection in basketball in 1989, scoring 2,763 career points. She also interned at the Women’s Sports Foundation in New York City.
Reed was a star on the track as well, winning three state high jump championships and two state long jump titles and was an all-stater all four years of high school
Last year Reed was named one of the top 10 greatest female athletes of the century in Northwest Oklahoma by the Enid News-Eagle.
