Brayden Reynolds does it all for Chartiers Valley boys

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, January 31, 2021 | 9:01 AM

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A couple of weeks ago in a big Class 5A Section 1 showdown, Chartiers Valley senior Brayden Reynolds struggled against visiting New Castle from the field.

Mid-range jumpers, 3-point shots, layups — nothing seemed to be falling.

“Honestly, it was just one of those nights against New Castle,” Reynolds said. “It was one of, if not the worst, I’ve shot in my four years at Char Valley.”

Reynolds still led the Colts with 19 points in their first loss of the season.

For his one-night struggles, Reynolds need not apologize to anybody. He has been at or near the top of the scoring list in the WPIAL all season and is a big part for the Colts’ success this season.

“I stress to Brayden to play the right way,” Chartiers Valley coach Brandon Sensor said. “Make the right play and don’t chase points or stats. He has gotten better, stronger and more explosive.

“I think Brayden’s goal is to just play an all-around great game — scoring efficiently, rebounding, passing, defending. We have a lot of shooters around him this year and if we’re all doing our job, that ball should be moving.”

While New Castle did nothing different on defense that January night, Reynolds has seen his share of junk defenses as his season point totals continue to rise.

“Yeah, I have had a couple teams play me in a box-and-one,” Reynolds said. “They face guard me the full length of the floor, trying to not allow me to get the ball. Once I get it, they try not to make it easy on me to score and make me work for every bucket that I get.”

Sensor believes there are few things Reynolds can’t do on the floor.

“He’s a competitor, very skilled with a high basketball IQ,” Sensor said. “He knows the game very well and has a ton of experience. He can shoot with tremendous range and accuracy. He’s a great passer and ball handler and he handles pressure situations well.”

Add leader to that list, an attribute Reynolds takes a lot of pride in.

“I do believe that I am a good leader,” Reynolds said.

“A good example is that I am very good at being vocal and being that player-coach on the floor for my team. I am always trying to pick my teammates’ heads up if they do something wrong and then I will try and give them advice or tell them what I would do in that situation, so next time they make a better decision or play.”

When the season was shut down for three weeks after opening night in December, a lot of players may have panicked about what they would do with no team practices or workouts allowed. Reynolds became a homebody in order to keep his game sharp heading into 2021.

“I have a hoop in my backyard that I made sure to get shots up every day,” he said. “I also did ball-handling drills and lifted weights in my basement.”

Chartiers Valley basketball is getting a lot of headlines these days. Not only is the boys program one of the top teams in 5A, the girls team put together a record 64-game winning streak as they continue their goal of winning a third straight district title.

“I think the girls program is playing at a very high level, and it is awesome to see the girls accomplishing so much in my four years that I’ve been here,” Reynolds said.

He loves the championship aspect of what they have accomplished and would love to leave Chartiers Valley with some basketball gold.

“My outlook is that we make a run at the WPIAL title once again this year,” Reynolds said.

“In this program, Coach Sensor has done a great job on keeping our whole team focused on the next day, not the next game. Like he has told us since the beginning of the year, if we can improve every day from here ‘til the end of the year, we are going to be a really tough basketball team to play.”

Tags: Chartiers Valley