Bowling Green State University Athletics
Reimold a Tough Customer for BGSU
February 25, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 25, 2005
By JACK CARLE, Sentinel Sports Editor - It's been a recurring theme this year.
Opposing coaches and players have come into the post-game interview room and, win or lose, have talked about how tough Bowling Green's John Reimold is on the basketball court.
"John Reimold's a pretty tough kid ... To me that guy is one of the toughest guys in the league," Keith Dambrot, Akron's head coach, said. "He is a classic over-achiever. He's one of my favorite players in the league."
"He was tough just because of how many screens they set for him," said Ohio's Mychel Green. "He comes off so many screens and if you let your guard down for one little instant, he can get a shot off pretty quick."
But what is tough?
When asked that question Reimold said: "Tough is you always have to be focused and you've always got to be willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done ... When there's something that needs to be done, that requires you to give everything you have to get it done, I think I'm willing to do that."
That means digging down on the defensive end usually against players who are quicker than you when a stop is needed. It means playing even when you're hurting and diving on the floor for loose balls. It also means running Bowling Green's motion offense and not being afraid to take the big shot when the game is on the line.
"I won't say I'm the most athletic guy in the league, so in order to do well, I have to be a tough guy. I have to do the little things and I have to be mentally as well as physically tough," Reimold said. "That means a lot to me that the other coaches see what I'm doing out there."
Dan Dakich, BG's head coach, also sees the toughness in Reimold, who is in his third year playing with the Falcons. Reimold played one year at Loyola (Maryland) and sat out one season at Bowling Green to comply with NCAA transfer rules.
"Reimold is the toughest kid I've ever coached," Dakich said. "He means a lot to us in a lot of areas. If I showed you a practice tape, you would be astounded how he covers up for everybody.
"Everybody in their own way seems to bring something to the table. John just seems to bring a lot."
"That's John's personality," said Josh Almanson, a fifth-year senior with the team. "He doesn't give up at anything, whether it's defense, getting on the floor, rebounding, or working on the offensive end.
"You see him at the end of games, he's drained because he leaves everything out there every night."
At 6-feet-6, Reimold was a post player in high school. While he still can take a smaller defender to the basket from the low block, he's better known for his 3-point shooting.
He's the Falcons' career leader with 214 3-pointers and is among the career leaders in free-throw percentage and 3-point field goal percentage. Reimold surpassed 1,000 career points earlier this season and is on pace to finish in the top-20 on BG's all-time scoring list.
"My dad taught me how to shoot when I was really young, so I always had good shooting form," Reimold said.
Still the transition from a post player to a 3-point threat required countless practice time.
"I won't even want to imagine how many hours he spent on becoming a 3-point shooter and a perimeter player," Almanson said. "His play speaks for how much time he puts into his game."
It was time Reimold was glad to put in, because he knew that's how he could prosper in college.
"It really takes a lot of work on your game to make a transition like that," he said. "It's something that I had to do because I'm not athletic enough to prosper down on the block; 6-6 post players who can't jump don't make it.
"I'm confident when I get an open shot, I have a pretty good chance to knock it down."
Bowling Green's last two games have been evidence of that for Reimold. In BG's 74-66 win over Arkansas-Little Rock last Saturday, Reimold scored 12 points in the final four minutes of the game to spark the Falcons, despite playing with four fouls.
In Wednesday's 72-61 loss to Northern Illinois, Reimold scored 17 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, attempting to rally his team from a 20-point deficit.
It's because of his toughness, his shooting touch and not being afraid to take the last shot, that Dakich believes Reimold can play at the next level.
"John Reimold is a pro, he's an NBA guy if somebody gives him a chance," Dakich said. "I've seen enough pros and I've seen him in practice to know what he's capable of doing."
