Dave Reid is the head basketball coach of a team in the Lincoln Park area of Queens. His squad, mainly from the South Ozone Park area of Queens, New York, is one of 60 teams competing in the Child’s Play League whose games are contested outdoors at the PS 127 playground in East Elmhurst.
This circuit is broken down into various age divisions who are competing first for division titles in the 12 team division. All games are outdoors in this circuit, formerly called the ElmCor Summer Basketball League.
Oddly Reid was not always into this sport of basketball for he spent some time in Jamaica College High School located in the Wet indies.
His parents Linnette and Clyve Reid were born in the Caribbean, where he lived for a while during his youth and high school days.
“I transferred from Flushing High School in Queens to out of the country (to Jamaica College High School,”), he recalled one day after a game at PS 127. He actually lived in Jamaica between ages 15 to 19.
Dave, who was born in Jamaica, West Indies, played such sports as cricket and soccer in his youth, but his sports changed when he came to the United States.
“When I came to this country, I became in love with the basketball,” he recalled, earlier this season. “I stuck with basketball over baseball and football. When I started out my favorite player was Earl Monroe (of the New York Knicks). I remember those years (the glory ones). I recall when Phil Jackson was the sixth man off the bench for the Knicks. I loved to watch him play defense.”
Reid always tells his players and his children ‘offense fills up the seats (scores). (and) defense wins the games…’
He feels that the New York Knicks are rebuilding. “And that’s it!, he went on. ‘Come see us (the Knicks) in another four or five years.”
Reid who has been coaching since 21 started coaching his present team this season.
“They (my present team) are a great group of guys,” he said. “They are listening and buying into our defensive scheme).”
Reid was not been involved in ElmCor’s Summer League last year because he conducted his own league at Lincoln Park.
“This year we did not have a league because Lincoln Park is under reconstruction,” he explained.
Reid, who played college ball at Queens College, was not one of its stars. But he enjoyed the game, stuck with it, and tried to do something related to the hoop sport, and at the same time, stuck with it.
