On August 18, St. John’s introduced the signing of 6-foot-10 ahead Reed Bailey, coming from Indiana. Getting into his fifth collegiate season, Bailey now seems to be to place the 2025-26 season behind him and rediscover the shape that made him one of many extra intriguing gamers within the switch portal.
Bailey posted 8.3 factors and three.4 rebounds whereas taking pictures 57% from the sphere final season at Indiana. After enjoying in a system that didn’t maximize his strengths and being requested to play out of place, Bailey might have a a lot greater ceiling with the Johnnies.
The previous three-star recruit comes from an athletic household. His father, Nathan, performed basketball at Navy and Pittsburgh, whereas his mom, Linda, performed volleyball at Pittsburgh. His siblings additionally competed collegiately throughout basketball and volleyball. Coming from Harvard, Massachusetts, Bailey wasn’t closely recruited, which finally led him to Davidson.
Bailey began all 97 video games he performed throughout his three seasons at Davidson. In these three seasons, Bailey was named Atlantic-10 Most Improved Participant and First-Staff All-Atlantic-10 after the 2024-2025 season. With this confirmed monitor report, Bailey grew to become one of many premier switch recruits, rating 63rd within the portal, proper behind future nationwide champion Elliot Cadeau. Indiana finally landed Bailey, attracted by his mixture of size, fluidity in transition, and skill to persistently threaten defenses across the paint. Throughout the Wildcats’ offense, Bailey was used primarily as an influence ahead, working off the ball and serving as an off-ball screener.
Between all of the excessive screens and low block motion, Bailey discovered himself open rather a lot, the place he was fed his factors. However Bailey isn’t solely an off-ball participant. There have been loads of cases the place he acquired the ball on the prime of the important thing and have become the focus of the offense, initiating the possession himself.
At 6-foot-10, Bailey has very fluid actions the place he strikes like a small-ball ahead. He’s not a cumbersome mover, however he can simply get in between tight areas to search out the open space for a shot. Enjoying on this faster-paced system, Reed averaged 18.8 factors and 6.1 rebounds on 48% from the sphere and 41% from past the arc. However the best way Bailey was used at Davidson was nearly the exact opposite of how Indiana deployed him.
With excessive expectations, Reed was anticipated to be a day-one contributor for Indiana, which was going by way of a program rehaul. Coming off a extremely good season the place Bailey was one in every of solely two gamers nationally 6’10” or taller to report at the very least 600 factors, 200 rebounds, and 100 assists (the opposite was Auburn’s Johni Broome), Reed had a really sluggish begin the place he was finally benched in favor of Sam Alexis.
Many Hoosiers followers had been dissatisfied with Bailey and the expectations that got here with him, however stats don’t inform the entire story. As said earlier than, Davidson was extra of a transition crew the place Reed’s dimension and motion match the system. Indiana was ranked 256th in tempo final season and was extra targeted on establishing the offense and set items. Bailey’s largest drawback at Indiana wasn’t essentially his capacity. It was the place Indiana wanted him to play.
One other essential piece of context: the 2025-26 Indiana Hoosiers lacked dimension on the 5. All season lengthy, with Reed Bailey and Sam Alexis, who had been each profession energy forwards, they had been thrust into enjoying middle for the primary time of their collegiate careers. Bailey has the body of a ahead, however isn’t constructed to persistently defend true faculty facilities.
Past that, Bailey was wonderful at boxing out and will seize rebounds, however his protection was the actual kicker. A number of media and Indiana followers will say this was a extremely down season for Bailey, however superior stats don’t mirror that. Reed completed with a 125 ORTG (Offensive Ranking) and a 65% true taking pictures share, numbers that recommend his offensive effectivity remained sturdy regardless of his lowered position. Bailey, in his down yr, remains to be a really serviceable faculty basketball participant, and with Rick Pitino’s teaching, it might be shocking if we didn’t see extra of the Davidson Bailey than the Indiana model of him.
As of proper now, Bailey is slotted in because the backup energy ahead to Babacar Sane. With St. John’s rating 68th nationally in tempo final season, Bailey ought to have extra alternatives to make the most of the transition sport that made him so efficient at Davidson. Bailey shot 64% across the rim, which might have completed third on the Johnnies roster final season behind Zuby Ejiofor and Dillon Mitchell.
The match for Reed Bailey is precisely what he must get again heading in the right direction. Rick Pitino already appears very excited to get his palms on Bailey.
“We expect he suits in completely for what we want. He’s a veteran basketball participant. He has seen all of it, finished all of it, and he is aware of methods to play in a movement offense,” Pitino advised the t after Bailey’s signing. “He has good dimension, and he actually is aware of methods to play the sport.”
One factor St. John’s followers gotta be excited for is the quantity of various lineups Rick Pitino can throw at groups. For instance, he can throw out a lineup that includes Ellis, Yessoufou, Sane, Bailey, and Prey, which might give Pitino a mixture of dimension, size and ball-handling that would create matchup issues. That’s only one combo of what he can do throughout a sport to herald dimension and velocity. Reed Bailey may not have been the shiny transfer like Keyshawn Corridor, however his match may very well be precisely what Pitino wants off the bench. A confirmed participant on a confirmed crew with a confirmed coach, now that’s a recipe for achievement.