St. Laurence’s Reggie Stevens floats his signature play like a personal badge of honor.
The 6-foot-3 sophomore guard always comes off the bench with purpose and flair, showing his readiness to jump-start the offense.
“I always have the green light,” Steven said of taking his shot, even from 3-point range. “Given that opportunity from the coaches just makes me super confident, especially as a 15-year-old.
“I just saw what I had to do and shot the ball.”
The shots also went in Saturday for Stevens, who made three 3-pointers in scoring 11 points for the Vikings in a 63-44 loss to Benet in the MLK Invitational at Homewood-Flossmoor.
Senior guard Zerrick Johnson matched Stevens’ total with 11 points for St. Laurence (16-5). Senior guard Bradley Stratton hit three 3-pointers and finished with nine points.
With Benet touting a 7-foot center and 6-8 forward, Stevens was a crucial part of the Vikings’ strategy in putting up the 3-pointer.
“Shooting the ball the way I do just gives me a lot of energy,” Stevens said. “I can bring that to my teammates and have that translate to defense.”
After seeing some time last winter during his freshman year, Stevens has come of age in his second varsity season.
He has ideal positional size, quickness, excellent form and a knack for finding open spaces.
“Reggie’s a phenomenal player, and only a sophomore, and he has a lot of good basketball left in him,” Stratton said. “I’m proud of what he’s been doing. He has a great work ethic.
“He’s always in the gym and always getting shots up.”
St. Laurence coach Roshawn Russell has called Stevens the unsung hero of the team.
“Reggie has been great all year and in my opinion hasn’t been talked about enough, so it’s about time he got this recognition,” Russell said. “He plays with a lot of energy, he shoots the ball very well, he defends, and now I’ve been challenging him to improve as a rebounder.
“He can stretch the floor and he can guard multiple positions because of his length. He’s a true three-and-D player.”
Stevens also has a natural bounce and movement to his game.
It’s fitting, given flight is the ruling metaphor of his game and his dreams about the future.
“I’m really into aviation,” he said. “I’m taking a class at school right now, and I love that sensation of being in the air.
“My dream job one day is to be a pilot. I find everything about it cool and wonderful.”
The elevation he generates on his jump shot is easily seen as well. An expanded role and offensive opportunities have accelerated Stevens’ desire to make his own name.
He’s the youngest of eight children. His father Toussaint, named for a French soldier, played guard at city powerhouse King in the late 1980s. Most of his siblings went to Marist, including his nearest older brother Ezekiel.
Reggie, however, was eager to find his own path.
“Gold and black were the King colors and they’re also the St. Laurence colors, so it was natural to come here,” he said. “Being the youngest just brought my competitive style up.
“My brothers were always bigger than me, and the fact I did well showed I can perform at a high level with bigger, stronger guys.”
Stevens passed the most important test Saturday, showing his level-headed patience.
“I knew I had to keep my head down and keep working hard,” he said. “I knew my time was going to come eventually. I just had to trust my work habits and show people I can go out and perform.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
