“I’ve coached each of them for about 30 years, so I kind of got used to having them back to back,” Reed said. “Baseball always refreshes you. Get outside, get some fresh air — I really like coaching baseball. But basketball is a good opportunity for me. I’ve been wanting to be a head basketball coach for a while.”
Talawanda is seeking some stability in a basketball program that hasn’t enjoyed a winning season since 2008-09.
Eddie Glaser resigned in March after going 12-34 in two seasons. Chris Coles, the son of former Miami University coach Charlie Coles, was hired in May.
But Coles was recently removed from the position. Talawanda athletic director Wes Cole said Coles lives in Michigan and was planning to commute during the school year.
“Some things came up with his family, and he wasn’t able to be here when school started,” Cole said. “We were continuing to communicate with him. He said, ‘I’ll be here a certain day,’ and he wasn’t. At that point, we had to move on and try to fill a position with someone that could get here for the kids.
“He never gave the exact wording of, ‘Hey, I’m not going to be here,’ but based on his actions, he said he wasn’t going to be here.”
Reed, 56, talked to Coles briefly after he was hired and offered to be the freshman coach. He never heard back from Coles, so Reed assumed his basketball coaching days were over.
Then the head position suddenly came open again.
“He said, ‘If you need someone, I’ll definitely help you,’ and that kind of just started the ball rolling,” Cole said. “Tim’s a great person. He’s great with kids. It actually worked out really well. You hate to hear about something like this happening so late, but I think we couldn’t have found a better person to step in and take over our program.”
Reed was a longtime football, basketball and baseball coach in the Hamilton City School District and graduated from Taft in 1979. He had never been a varsity head coach before getting the Braves’ baseball job.
“I applied for the Hamilton basketball and baseball jobs and never got anything,” Reed said. “Some of the coaching people that I look up to were never given the opportunity to be a varsity head coach, and I said, ‘Well, that may be my way in life.’ I kind of accepted that and went on.
“I felt like I was really a plus for the Hamilton programs. The varsity coaches would tell me what they needed done, and I would do it. I would send them kids that were prepared.
“I was really excited about coaching baseball at Talawanda, and now I’m really excited about coaching basketball too. We’ll try to get a program built, but it’s not built in a day. I plan on being here a little while if they will allow that. We’re going to play hard and play some defense. Sometimes you’re successful when you do that.”
He’s filled two spots on his coaching staff with former local standouts. Badin graduate John Richter will be the varsity assistant, while Hamilton graduate Ryan Butler will coach the eighth-graders.
Reed’s baseball record at Talawanda is 16-37.
“We haven’t been very successful at the varsity level,” he said. “But I think we’ve built a good program, and we should start reaping the benefits this year and on down the road.”
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