Trayvon Reed, 7-foot-2-inch center, was added to the Auburn basketball roster this season after transferring from the University of Maryland.
As a four-star recruit, Reed ran into trouble, pleading guilty to second-degree misdemeanor assault.
According to police reports, Reed was being watched inside of a 7-11 convenient store late one Wednesday night in College Park, Maryland, when he was caught carrying out a Twix ice cream bar, a four-pack of Reese's Cups and a two-pack of King Reese's Cups in his pocket without paying.
When confronted by an undercover officer, Reed resisted his arrest, breaking two of the officer's fingers.
Reed was charged with theft under $100 and assault of an officer.
This altercation resulted in Reed losing his spot on the Terrapins defense when the University of Maryland prohibited him from enrolling.
"I thought basketball was over for me." Reed said.
But this wasn't the end for Reed.
After leaving Maryland, Reed said in addition to community service, he had some work to do to receive more academic credit for his eligibility to join a university team.
According to Rich McGlynn, senior associate athletic director, there are certain NCAA standards a recruit must uphold to be officially admitted as a student-athlete. McGlynn said before being accepted to Auburn, a recruit must have completed four years of English, three years of math including an algebra 1 course and above, two years of a natural or physical Science with one year of lab and one additional hour of any course in English, math or science. Two years of social science and four years of electives were also required.
After completing a year of training and earning additional academic credit at ELEV-8 Sports Academy in Delray Beach, Florida, Reed was eligible to be added once again to the recruiting pool and, after receiving offers from a couple of schools, took his spot with the Tigers.
"I just felt comfortable at Auburn," Reed said. "I liked the way Bruce Pearl, Chuck Person, the whole coaching staff were talking and I just ended up here."
Reed said he was also excited to commit to Auburn because of its proximity to his hometown of Mobile.
Head coach Bruce Pearl said the coaches were pleased with Reed's addition to the roster.
"I think the biggest thing for Trayvon is he's a dimension," Pearl said. "Can he get his game from being a dimension to being more of a factor? The answer is yes, he has that kind of ability."
Reed made his first on-court appearance in Auburn's match against Clemson on Dec. 14, which was a bit of a struggle.
"In the first game, it was kind of difficult for me because I wasn't in shape, so just running up and down the court, I was getting winded a little bit and then coach snatched me after like three minutes."
The future looks bright for Reed's second chance, this time with Auburn basketball. "I mean I feel like I have my ups and downs," Reed said. "I can bring a little more to the team, but as of now, I'm a defensive person."
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