Memphis guard Jayden Reid broke down in tears during a postgame radio interview Saturday after leading the Tigers to an 89-88 win over VCU, crediting God for the opportunity to play college basketball at a high level.
Reid scored 32 points in the win, including two free throws with five seconds left that sealed the victory. It was his home debut for Memphis after transferring from Northwestern in the offseason.
Asked about the game by the Tigers’ radio network, Reid struggled to get through his answer before expressing gratitude through tears.
“I’m just so thankful, I’m just thankful man,” Reid said. “God blessed me so much to be in that position. I always prayed for this. I’m just thankful for God putting me in a great position coming to Memphis out of the [transfer] portal. I’m just so thankful for my coaches and my teammates; it’s a big-time win at home.”
Reid, from Westbury, New York, started his college career at USF before transferring to Northwestern, where he averaged 10 points and five rebounds per game over two seasons. He entered the transfer portal again and landed at Memphis under head coach Penny Hardaway.
The win over VCU came one game after Reid scored 26 points in Memphis’ season-opening upset of Iowa State. Through two games, he’s averaging 29 points per game, the second-best scoring average in all of college basketball, while committing only three turnovers.
