March 31, 2025
The American College males’s basketball crew punched their ticket to go dancing after being topped Patriot League champions in Washington, D.C. after defeating Navy, 74 – 52.
The crew went on to face Mount St. Mary’s College within the First 4 of the NCAA Match. It had been 11 years because the males’s basketball program had made the event.
Behind the crew’s success has been the story of Eagles guard Elijah Stephens and AU Assistant Director of Compliance Fred Reynolds. Stephens’ household was first launched to Reynolds by former AU Males’s Basketball Coach Mike Brennan and former AU Assistant Males’s Basketball Coach Ed Jackson. The boys’s basketball workers seen a fast connection to Reynolds, and requested him to help Stephens. They wished to make sure that Elijah would achieve success not simply on the basketball courtroom however academically, and in life.
Reynolds’s profession background in greater schooling and athletics spans over 20 years in student-athlete growth and NCAA compliance. However his reference to Stephens was a private one, based mostly on rising up within the South and developing via the pipeline of Texas youth basketball. The Texas basketball tradition and what the younger males within the area skilled following their goals and athletic pursuits created a novel bond between the 2.
Reynolds stated, “Elijah and I share a group understanding of the academic, cultural, and social variations by the use of our transition from the Southwest area of the nation to the Northeast area.”
On the connection, Elijah’s father Antwan Stephens stated “Fred performed an necessary function in serving to us get Elijah on a path of success … Fred’s function has been important with Elijah’s transition to the collegiate degree. Most significantly, Elijah’s time administration improved exponentially underneath Fred’s mentorship. Fred additionally gained Eli’s belief early on which was enormous.”
Elijah’s journey to AU didn’t come straightforward. When he was in center faculty, his mom handed away in a automotive accident. As Elijah celebrated the Patriot League championship his father Antwan couldn’t assist however keep in mind how particular this second would have been for Elijah’s mom.
“I’ve combined feelings. I’m extraordinarily pleased with Elijah’s accomplishments, however saddened that his mom just isn’t right here to share these moments with us,” Antwan stated.
Reflecting again on Elijah’s early days as an Eagle, his father shared it was a bit overwhelming to start with for his son juggling the duties of a collegiate student-athlete. He talked about the important thing was having nice folks inside the AU athletics division in his nook to assist information him alongside the way in which.
To help Stephens’ educational success, Reynolds launched him to AU School Athletic Consultant Dr. Bob Karch throughout his second 12 months of enrollment. Dr. Karch pledged to assist help Elijah’s transition from highschool to school and talk about majors of curiosity.
Throughout the summer time and basketball offseasons Stephens and Reynolds would play aggressive basketball with teammates and native gamers in Washington, D.C. Reynolds stated, “These interactions helped with creating our relationship over a sport that we love enjoying.”
Reynolds described that it was throughout this time that the 5-foot-9 Stephens discovered extra about his background as a student-athlete from Texas attending Jap Michigan College out of highschool. The comparability that Reynolds made was sharing particulars about his basketball program being led by a guard that was a bonafide scorer and chief, the 5-foot-5 faculty All-American, who went on to play within the NBA and is the present College of Texas at El Paso Males’s Basketball Coach Earl Boykins. Stephens bought to study that Reynolds was a part of a profitable common season and convention event crew that earned an computerized bid to the NCAA event.
Reynolds stated, “It was a crew that beat Duke within the first spherical of the event and subsequently fell brief in opposition to the College of Connecticut.”
To help Stephens, Reynolds would meet him half-hour earlier than sure lessons two to 3 instances per week to debate the lecture and to assist him put together questions that he could be inspired to ask the professors throughout class. Reynolds stated the aim with Stephens was to exhibit to him that he had a crew behind him that included deans, school/workers, coaches, and former graduating Eagle alumni that may work to help his educational, athletic, and social growth at AU.
Reynolds assisted Stephens in constructing obligatory life abilities, enhancing time administration, serving to to construct Stephens’ community, and aiding with public talking. In addition they ready for profession readiness via serving to to refine Stephens’ resume, attending monetary literacy programming, and looking for internships.
At this time, Stephens continues to thrive academically and is enrolled in all obligatory programs to earn his diploma on the conclusion of the spring 2025 time period. Athletically, Stephens is an All-League Patriot League participant that helped his crew win the Patriot League convention championship. The American College males’s basketball crew earned an computerized bid to the 2025 NCAA championship. Throughout his time at AU from 2021 to 2025, he set profession data.
“Reynolds turned a useful resource for absolutely anything for teachers, social and athletics since my first 12 months at AU and I’m grateful for him introducing me to his community and for the continued help,” Stephens stated.