A family affair: Reed family reflects on March Madness journey

Senior guard Brendan Reed has bled brown since he was born and has played basketball for as long as he can remember. His father, Brett Reed, is the winningest coach in Lehigh history. 

On Wednesday, the pair took the court at the University of Dayton, falling to Prairie View A&M University with a score of 67-55.  

“I’ve been around (basketball) forever,” Brendan Reed said. “I was a ball boy growing up, so I would help scrub the floors during games, and I was around 8 at the time.”

For Brendan Reed, the moment is the culmination of a childhood spent around the program. He attended the 2012 Selection Sunday when No. 15 seed Lehigh was matched up against No. 2 seed Duke University. He said he remembers being in Lamberton Hall and watching players he considered his idols.

He said walking onto the court on Wednesday felt surreal.

As a walk-on, he said the experience has been different than he expected, especially the strong sense of unity and the close bond among his teammates. 

Although his father is the coach, Brendan Reed said Brett Reed only coached briefly in travel basketball due to NCAA restrictions, until he joined the Lehigh men’s basketball team. 

“I’d say the transition to (my father) being my coach makes it somewhat easy, because I understand where he’s coming from,” Brendan Reed said. “I’ve grown up around him, so I know what he wants out of me, but we don’t step on each other’s toes. (Basketball) has been a great way to spend time with him and also just be a part of something bigger than ourselves.” 

He said the two are able to separate basketball from family life and remain close off the court.

Kindra Reed, Brendan Reed’s mother, Makenna Reed, Brendan Reed’s sister and Calvin Reed, his younger brother, all traveled to Dayton for the game. 

“I’m a very proud mom, and wife, it’s been a long time coming for (the team),” Kindra Reed said. “Brendan has been playing ever since he was a little guy, so it’s neat to see it culminate the way that it has.” 

Basketball has always been central to the Reed family. Makenna Reed grew up around the sport, with both her grandfathers coaching youth basketball. She went on to play at Elizabethtown College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 

An injury sidelined her for the 2025-26 season, but she remains closely connected to the game.  

“(Calvin Reed) is 13, but he was on the court at all the games,” Makenna Reed said. “He tries to be a ball boy, (and) goes everywhere. It’s pretty similar seeing him involved like (Brendan Reed) and I were when we were little.”

Kindra Reed met Brett Reed when she was a first-year and he was a senior at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. 

“We both played (basketball), and kind of knew each other, and then just fell in love,” Kindra Reed said. 

The family later moved to Bethlehem when Brett Reed joined Lehigh’s coaching staff and was eventually named coach in 2007. Growing up across the street from Stabler Arena, the Reed children were constantly around the team. 

“I feel like we’re pretty close to all of the (players),” Kindra Reed said. “They all come to our house a lot, we try to have meals and try to build a family atmosphere. We’ve had a couple of them, when they’re injured, come over to try to help take care of them, so that’s really built some strong connections.” 

Makenna Reed said living so close to campus allowed her to attend nearly every home game growing up.

During a snowstorm when Brendan and Makenna Reed were toddlers, Kindra Reed wasn’t sure the game would still be played.

“(Brett Reed) said ‘as long as the officials are there, it’s going to happen,’” Kindra Reed said. “I was like, ‘you know what, we’re getting to this game.’ So I put them on a sled and pulled them over to Stabler, and there were only three people at the game, but that’s just how we are. We just always want to be there supporting and loving the game.”

Despite growing up immersed in Lehigh basketball, Brendan Reed’s path to the team wasn’t guaranteed. Inspired by a teacher at Allentown Central Catholic High School, Kindra Reed said he chose to pursue mechanical engineering.  

He joined the team as a walk-on, and said he faced added pressure as the coach’s son.

“I wouldn’t say (Brendan Reed’s) basketball career has been the easiest thing,” Makenna Reed said. “It hasn’t been ‘here’s this, take this’ as some people might assume. Over the years, he’s definitely grown in that aspect, that he doesn’t want things handed to him. If you had a conversation with him, you might not even know (he’s Brett Reed’s son).”

Kindra Reed said she saw those challenges firsthand.

“There’s been a level of trust that has had to be built just between (the team),” Kindra Reed said. “(Brendan Reed) has a big separation because he’s a teammate and a friend to those guys, and then his dad is the coach, so (Brendan Reed) has always taken that seriously because he doesn’t want that trust to ever be broken.” 

Now, that journey has led to March Madness. 

Kindra Reed said watching the team practice on Tuesday felt like a dream come true for her son, noting that his dedication and love for the game reflects his father’s and that seeing his hard work pay off made her emotional. 

For Brendan Reed, the moment is also about his family.

He said he’s grateful to be in March Madness and emphasized that his entire family has been deeply involved in Lehigh basketball, adding that it means a lot for them to see their years of support and sacrifice pay off. 

He said his relationship with his brother Calvin Reed is important to him.

“I’m hoping I can conduct myself in the right way, that I’m making the right choices, where (Calvin Reed) can see me as someone to look up to as an older brother,” Brendan Reed said. “That’s one of the biggest parts. It’s so funny to see him act the same way that I probably did (when I was his age.) He’s just so excited for all of it, and there’s a part of me that feels the same way too, because I’m still that little kid at heart.”

For Brett Reed, sharing this experience with his son is especially meaningful.

“Brendan was that kid, that all the players were like big brothers to,” he said. “I know he bleeds brown. I know he loves it, and to give him the chance to have that experience, along with our other guys, but also be able to share some special moments and championships, these are going to be some memories that we’ll never forget.”

Kindra Reed said the moment feels both exciting and bittersweet, noting how quickly it all has happened and expressing gratitude for the strong Lehigh community that’s supported their family and watched Brendan and Brett Reed grow over the years. 

While many see only the coach-player relationship, Makenna Reed said their dynamic at home is different. 

“When (Brendan and Brett Reed) aren’t in front of a camera, they’re fun (and) loving,” she said.

Faith has also played a significant role in Brendan Reed’s life. 

Kindra Reed said faith is a central part of their family and that she’s seen Brendan Reed grow significantly in that area, noting his involvement in Cru and how his beliefs guide his actions and character, which she also credits in part to her husband. 

As his college career winds down, Brendan Reed said it’s crazy to think about the season ending, especially after how much basketball has shaped his life. He said basketball became such a central part of his identity in high school that he began to rely on it too much, but has since worked to ground himself in more lasting things like his faith. He added that reaching March Madness has left him feeling fulfilled and grateful rather than disappointed. 

“My journey with basketball isn’t over, it’s just changing in a way,” Brendan Reed said. “I’m a little disappointed (for the season to end), but how else would you want it to end? It doesn’t happen all the time where a senior gets to go to March Madness.”