In second grade, when Corinne Reed and her family moved to St. Charles, she immediately became immersed in the culture of the St. Charles East girls basketball program.
It’s why nobody will ever be surprised to see the Akron-bound senior guard spending time now with the kids that end up coming to watch her games for the Saints.
“All these girls come to our summer camps,” Reed said. “I do a lot of training and a lot of work with younger kids. You can ask my coaches, I remember watching them play. I remember watching some of my teammates from the past few years play. I want to keep building that.”
St. Charles East coach Katie Claussner knows having a varsity player — particularly one of Reed’s stature — taking the time to give back is a big part of what she’s trying to build.
“That’s something that those girls will remember forever,” Claussner said. “Whether they’re going to East or North, those are the people they look up to. I know I had people like that growing up when I was at the (St. Charles) Storm level.
“She’s a great personality to be around, and the kids love her. It just helps with the whole program.”
Reed is acutely aware of what her efforts mean to the next generation of St. Charles East players.
“That was one of my favorite parts of my childhood,” Reed said. “When I moved to St. Charles, we came to games all the time and the girls would be our best friends for the day. It was awesome.
“I just want to keep creating that and have an environment where I’m involved in the future of St. Charles East.”
Reed also is making a difference on the court for the Saints, who are in the midst of the best regular season in program history.
St. Charles East (23-6, 13-0) has clinched a conference championship for the first time and earned the top seed of the Class 4A sectional the Saints will be hosting.
One regular-season game remains before St. Charles East opens at 6 p.m. next Tuesday in the Willowbrook Regional semifinals.
“We talk about creating our legacy,” Reed said. “We started winning all of these games. We’re undefeated in conference right now. That’s huge for us. Now, we won the conference.
“It’s the first time we’ve ever done it in the history of St. Charles East basketball.”
Reed leads the team in scoring and passing, averaging 13.5 points and 3.6 assists. She’s second with 1.8 steals and third with 5.6 rebounds.
“She’s such a threat on the floor,” Claussner said. “You can tell that teams are pinpointing Corinne and trying to make sure to double-team her and pressure her as much as possible because if the ball is in her hands, they know that good things are going to happen for us.
“We’re really blessed to have that.”
Reed’s ability to work with younger players also has come in handy this season.
Freshmen Kathlyn Bainbridge and Brooklyn Schilb are both in the starting lineup for the Saints. Bainbridge and Reed, in particular, have created a strong bond.
“Honestly, it’s like a role model, especially with her playing style and her mentality,” Bainbridge said of Reed. “She brings a good, positive energy but it’s also competitive.
“It’s educating to be on the same team as her.”
Reed, likewise, sees some of herself in the highly touted Schilb.
“Just our work ethic and the will to be better than anyone else is unmatched,” Reed said. “That takes you far in basketball and in life.”
Looking ahead, Claussner hopes the Saints can make a deep postseason run so she can be around Reed for as long as possible before she heads to college.
“We’re excited for the next couple of weeks and we’re excited for her future,” Claussner said. “It’s very bittersweet, but I’m excited for her future. Sad it has to come to an end at some point here.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.