Erik Reynolds II (2) poses after Saint Joseph's victory over Temple in the Big 5 Classic on December 2, 2023. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
September 3, 2024
Erik Reynolds II already has made a huge impact on Saint Joseph’s basketball program. This season, Reynolds has a chance, through team and individual accomplishments, to leave a lasting legacy on Hawk Hill.
Speaking to Matt Gifford of 247Sports during an X Spaces interview through Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball’s official account on Tuesday night, Reynolds said his goal for the Hawks this season is an Atlantic 10 championship, something they last did in 2016.
“Definitely being a force in our conference,” he told Gifford of his goals for the team. “Definitely winning an A-10 championship. We’ve been edging closer, closer and closer. This year, I feel like we could really get that done. And I want to get that done for the city as well. Ultimately for the program, but I want to expand past that as well.”
Individually, Reynolds has a shot at going down as the school’s all-time leading scorer and shooter. The Temple Hills, Maryland, native enters 2024-25 with 1,595 points, which is 499 shy of Jameer Nelson’s all-time mark of 2,094 career points. Reynolds scored 627 points as a sophomore and 606 as a junior when he led the Hawks in scoring at 17.3 points per contest, so the chances of him passing Nelson are good.
“That is an honor to even be in this position,” Reynolds said of nearing Nelson’s scoring record. “We all know what he did on this campus. I look at it as a true blessing to be in that position.”
Additionally, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard is 87 3-pointers shy of Langston Galloway’s school-leading total of 343 career treys, set from 2010-14. Reynolds made 94 shots from beyond the arc as a sophomore and 112 last season, so he’s on pace to eclipse the sweet-stroking Galloway.
Reynolds is happy with his decision to commit and stay at Saint Joseph’s – and excited for what’s ahead.
“At this point, I felt there was no other place that I wanted to be besides Hawk Hill,” he said. “I definitely want to be remembered on this campus as someone who brought life to it. We’re trending in the right direction for that. I definitely would like to leave a great legacy here on this campus because I’ve grown to love it so much.”
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. His byline regularly appears on Associated Press stories. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages. His book on the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team is expected to be published on March 1, 2025. Read a summary and preorder it by clicking HERE. Contact him at aaron@big5hoops.com.