Clifford Reed, Jr.,is in his seventh season as the head coach of the Bethune-Cookman University men's basketball program. Reed has spent 11 years overall with the B-CU program, four of which were as an assistant coach under former Bethune-Cookman head coach Horace Broadnax. In 2005-2006, he guided the Wildcats to their best season in school history on the Division I level of athletics with a 15-15 overall mark ... the first non-losing season overall for the Wildcats since the 1975-76 campaign (Division II).

For over a decade now, Bethune-Cookman head coach Clifford Reed, Jr. has mentored young men and women who looked up to the collegians in and around the Daytona Beach area at nearby South Ormond Beach Recreation Center. It was the working closely part with youth and seeing the smiles on their faces, that showed Reed his teams had something special that not only would spill over onto the court, but would carry them far into life beyond that of basketball. It is the leadership, loyalty and charisma that Reed instills into his team each and every year that makes his coaching ability that much better.

"I think we have a very good group of kids here at Bethune-Cookman University, and that is what I love best about this place," states Reed. "We have a group of young men that are not only hard workers on the court, but in the classroom and their communities as well."

Reed was named the school's sixth head men's basketball coach, and just the fourth head coach on the Division I level of athletics in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). He took over 11 games before the end of the 2001-02 season after the departure of Horace Broadnax--now head coach at Savannah State University. In the process, Reed compiled a record of 6-5 (5-3 MEAC) and advanced his newly acquired team to the second round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament.

But it is the 2005-06 season that makes people believe in the coaching philosophy and discipline principles of Coach Reed. He helped the `Cats to a 15-15 overall record, finishing tied for third in the MEAC--and earning B-CC earn a first round bye in the MEAC Tournament. Only once in the Reed era has Bethune-Cookman failed to reach the second round of the annual post-season conference tournament. Also in the 2005-06 season, Reed's Wildcats knocked off their first-ever major conference opponent, beating the University of South Florida out of the Big East Conference. In the process, Reed guided his team to a five-game winning streak--the most since the 1995-96 season.

The 1991 graduate of Bethune-Cookman College is on of the most respected and loved coaches in and around the MEAC. Perhaps no one in the league is as cherished for doing more with less than Clifford Reed, Jr.

"It was a great experience to be a student here with the educational experience that you get socially," states Reed. "The ultimate is to be able to go back and coach at the institution that you graduated from, and I just want to build upon a great tradition of basketball ... and bring about a rebirth after being dormant for over 25 years."

Prior to his outstanding coaching performance in the 2005-06 campaign, Reed had put on a seemingly "one time affair" in the course of the 2004-05 season where many thought, at the time, it was his best coaching yet. After the arrival of All-MEAC guard Antonio Webb, and players like Diondre Larmond and Michael Williams II, Reed transformed a team that won just 16 games combined in the previous two years to a winning record halfway through the 2004-05 campaign, ending with double digit wins.

As a former Bethune-Cookman Wildcat standout, Reed and the `Cats found themselves staring at the possibility of their first winning season since 1975-76 before falling in five of their last six games ... leading B-CC to a 13-17 overall record.

"The objective is to get the new guys to gel and to continue to improve, and that's the main objective for this year," adds Reed. "We need to continue to improve, and by the time the conference season rolls around we should be ready to contend for a title."

Reed began his rising coaching career in 1992 as the Boy's Junior Varsity basketball head coach at Mainland Senior High School in Daytona Beach. In 1994, he guided the Buccaneers to a 19-7 record and the Junior Varsity championship. After serving for two years in that position, he became the inaugural head Boy's Varsity coach at Atlantic High School ... just minutes from his home in Daytona Beach. During his tenure at Atlantic High School, Reed led the Sharks to back-to-back District 8 titles on the Class 4-A level. He finished with an overall record of 40-48. He spent three years with the Sharks program from 1995-98.

Reed's calling was to one day coach on the collegiate level, and he was given the chance while serving as an assistant coach under legendary Bethune-Cookman football and basketball head coach, and current Associate Director of Athletics at Bethune-Cookman University, Jack "Cy" McClairen for one season during the 1991-92 campaign. This one year eventually led to Reed's acceptance to the staff of Horace Broadnax prior to his head coaching experience.

He played for two years before at Bethune-Cookman College after transferring from St. John's River Community College where he averaged 18 points per game from 1983-85. While at St. John's River Community College, Reed was also named to the 1984-85 Mid-Florida All-Conference Team during the 1984-85 campaign.

After arriving at Bethune-Cookman, Moore Gymnasium became a staple for this "Cage Cat" as he set a then single-game school record for three-point field goals made (7), and scored over 1,200 points in just two seasons with the `Cats. In his two years with the `Cats, Reed also scored an average of 21 points per game. After stepping in as an interim head coach, Reed went on to collect eight wins (five in the MEAC), and saw his `Cats post the first 100-point scoring output since the 2000 season.

"Bethune-Cookman University is a part of me, as both a coach and a former Wildcat," explains Reed. "I want to see this school succeed, and I think we are working tirelessly towards that goal with a great staff and great young men. We are molding young men into athletic bodies with academic minds in the effort to make them succeed far after their athletic careers have ended. This is a great school, and we are working hard to promote the legacy of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and the wonder that is the great Bethune-Cookman University."

Reed graduated from B-CC with a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education after receiving an associate degree from Daytona Beach Community College. He is a native of Ormond Beach, Florida and currently lives in Daytona Beach. He is married to Vera Reed, and they have one son, Clifford Jervon (C.J.) Reed-- now a guard on the 2008-2009 B-CU Wildcats.