Shaler notes: Mekhi Reynolds puts in work, hits 1,000-point mark

By: Josh Rizzo
Thursday, February 6, 2020 | 7:25 PM

Seeing Mekhi Reynolds, it wasn’t a matter of if to Shaler Area boys basketball coach Rob Niederberger.

With how early Reynolds came in to put up extra shots, it was only a question of when he would join the club.

By scoring 23 points against Indiana, the 6-foot-3 senior guard became the first Titans player to reach the 1,000-point mark since Tanner Reinheimer did in 2017.

Many days, Reynolds comes in at 5 a.m. to open up the gym.

“Not very often,” Niederberger said about how often he has players ask to do that. “I’ve never seen a kid do it like he does. I’ve had a kid come in here and there, but never like he does.”

Reynolds, who averages more than 21 points per game, has drawn attention from college coaches. On Twitter, Reynolds announced he received an offer from Clarion University and has drawn other interest from schools in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

“His progress has been remarkable,” Niederberger said. “He went from a kid who had talent to a strong basketball player. A lot of players have talent, but what are you going to do with it? He works. His maturity has gotten better. His vision and ability to shoot the basketball has gotten better.”

Niederberger believes Reynolds will be a catalyst as Shaler looks to navigate through the WPIAL playoffs for the second straight year.

The Titans (13-8, 10-3) hit a bit of a skid down the stretch, losing five of seven games. Heading into the final week of the season, Shaler still sat in second place in the section, a game behind Mars.

Niederberger knows he can count on Reynolds for whatever is needed in the playoffs.

“He is a three-year starter,” Niederberger said. “He knew he would have to take more of the burden and scoring role for us. He’s always been receptive to whatever role I’ve asked him to do. He’s grown in his game every year in some facet. That’s the ultimate compliment.”

National signing day

Jake Miller provided Shaler with a big splash on national signing day. The Titans senior signed on with the University of Akron to play linebacker.

The Zips, who compete in the Division I Mid-America Conference, will be looking to get help from Miller in turning the program around. Akron finished 0-12 last season, including an 0-8 mark in league play.

Miller was one of four Titans to sign last Tuesday. Darin Mizgorski and Joey Impavido both chose to play at Mercyhurst, while Shayn Skelley will head to Seton Hill.

Tags: Shaler