“People Told Me Not To Do This, But I Wanted To Challenge Myself…” Jamal Reynolds. How A Child’s Dream Created A Hometown Hero.

When a person is presented with a challenge or a test, the outcome of overcoming it becomes one of the best feelings any person can get. Whether it’s studying for a test for a whole week or completing a story mode in a video game, the satisfaction that is admitted from overcoming a challenge is unlike no other. Take Jamal Reynolds of the Guelph Nighthawks, a person who was always faced with challenges but eventually prevailed despite all the chatter he received from others. His basketball journey illustrates a whole new meaning of overcoming a challenge as he wanted to accomplish more than making a basket in a hoop. 

Born on February 27, 1994, in Pickering Ontario, Reynolds was introduced to basketball at a very young age due to Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors. 

“All I did was eat, sleep, and play basketball growing up, which was when Vince Carter emerged as a superstar in the NBA. Carter inspired me and is one reason why I still play basketball as I always dreamed about one day making it to the NBA. His impact on Canadian athletes goes beyond his dunks as he inspired a whole generation in playing a sport”. 

Reynolds would immediately latch on to basketball as he was inspired by Vince Carter and enjoyed every ounce of playing it. Reynolds quickly evolved and was slowly outplaying other kids in his community, from playing recreational basketball to eventually making his first-team when he was just six years old with the Ajax Lions. However, Jamal wasn’t the only great player that Pickering Ontario had as he grew up playing alongside the Sacramento Kings guard and Toronto Raptor fan favourite, Cory Joseph! While Cory made it to the NBA, Jamal idolized his older brother Devoe Joseph more due to how much he inspired Pickering as he was a basketball phenom. Devoe made Pickering relevant and was the biggest role model for Jamal from a basketball standpoint. 

“From a basketball standpoint, my biggest role model growing up was Devoe Joseph. Cory was good, but Devoe, in my opinion, was the greatest Canadian basketball player I have ever seen at the time, and he was about 4-5 years older than me! Cory and Devoe would always play around my house, but Devoe was the legend in Pickering because he won the off-set championship and shot the game-winning shot and for him to be the first player in Pickering to play for the national team and play in a Nike hoop summit. He was someone that I looked up to before Cory Joseph and Andrew Wiggins because he was the first one to make it that far while being from Pickering”. 

Even though Jamal never played alongside them, he learned many aspects of the game that felt natural. Despite Cory Joseph becoming an NBA player and a celebrity, Jamal’s relationship with Cory remained the same as his childhood friend before making it to the NBA.

“At the time, it felt normal because we were all in the same neighbourhood playing basketball, but we all knew that Cory Joseph was special. When he made it to the NBA, nothing changed because when you know somebody outside of their achievements, you don’t look at them as any different. It’s very impressive to have a Pickering native make it to the NBA, but the relationship remains the same as he was a friend of mine before anything else”.

Jamal grew up around a great neighbourhood that was filled with passion and talent. Jamal and the Joseph brothers all grew up together, indicating how talented his area truly was. However, Jamal’s family was another support system that elevated his production on the basketball court. 

“I lived in a household with just my mother and my siblings, but I eventually made a relationship with my father when I was 13 years old. Growing up, my mom was more around than my father, but as I got older, my father and I made a relationship and are best friends today. It started rocky, but eventually, we made it work out, and i’m glad we did because my father is one of the greatest human beings I have ever met”. 

Upon reflection of Reynolds’ story, his basketball journey had many successes. From his time with the Ajax Lions to growing up with two future professional athletes while having one of them make it to the NBA, Reynold’s dream of becoming a pro-athlete was paving itself to becoming true. However, once Jamal reached high school, many people, including his own friends, doubted his decision to attend Pine Ridge Secondary School rather than Pickering high school, where both the Joseph brothers attended. 

“My experience in High School was special. I attended a school called Pine Ridge Secondary School, and when I went to the school, they never won a basketball championship. A school called Pickering high was where Cory and Devoe Joseph played, and that was the most prominent and dominant school in Pickering; and I managed to help my school win their first championship ever, and now they have won nine straight championships in a row. I was able to start this off and shift a basketball culture to Piner Secondary School, and while I did have other great memories, that was the biggest achievement I accomplished in High School”.

Jamal proved the doubters wrong and took the challenge of leading his high school team to the promised lands. He could have chosen the easier route of winning a championship, but Reynolds wanted to be remembered in his community, similarly to how Devoe was when he was a kid. Reynolds’ impact was extraordinary and unique. He quickly changed the narrative of a winning culture in Pickering and converted Piner Ridge Secondary School into one of the best basketball schools in all of Ontario. Reynolds was a pioneer in his mission, and with this great honour, Jamal would embark on a journey of reaching the NCAA and, eventually, the pros. 

“I was the pioneer of a winning culture in my school. No one at the time wanted to go to Pine Ridge Secondary School, and people told me not to go to that school and that I wouldn’t make it far in basketball if I did attend Piner because it wasn’t a basketball school. But I wanted to challenge myself and try to create a different narrative in Pickering, so when I won the first-ever championship for Piner, the impact of it was huge in my community”. 

In the end, Jamal Reynolds became an icon and a hero in Pickering, Ontario and followed his role model Devoe Joseph in inspiring the next generation of athletes. Rather than taking the easy route, Jamal challenged himself and developed a mentality that led to him reaching the professional level. Every season, he kept getting better and better because he never got comfortable with his results and continued to embrace challenges rather than avoid them. 

“Challenging myself is what motivated me to play basketball. Every level I reached, I never got comfortable and instead worked hard to get to the next step. Reaching the pros is difficult, so the way I got better was challenging myself and never getting comfortable because anyone can take your place”.

The lesson that can be learned about Jamal Reynold’s journey to basketball is, there will be moments where you might be faced with a challenge or adversity, which can be challenging; however, believing in yourself and embracing challenges is a stronger force than anything else. Doubt is a powerful enemy that everyone faces but the real test of character is how a person can shut down that inner thought and overcome their doubts. Believing in yourself and embracing challenges is the main reason why Reynolds is a pro athlete as he not only accomplished his dream but also became an icon in Pickering Ontario.