Reynolds exits Enochs as MMC co-Coach of the Year

Success often comes with a price tag and for Enochs girls basketball coach Curtis Reynolds that meant spending time away from family.

As he built up his program, devoting the offseason to AAU teams and out-of-state camps, Reynolds realized basketball was slowly consuming his calendar.

With two children, one in college and the other on the way, Reynolds reached a fork in the road. He could continue coaching the Eagles, hoping to catch two-time defending champion Modesto Christian. Or step away from the game for awhile, giving back all that time to his children and other passions put on hold.

He chose the latter and will leave the bench at Enochs on a high note. Reynolds was named co-Coach of the Year for the Modesto Metro Conference, sharing the award with Modesto Christian’s Robb Spencer.

Enochs (18-10, 11-3) finished second in the MMC with losses to Beyer and the Crusaders, who were paced by conference Most Valuable Player Lailoni Gaines.

“I’m ready to have a Christmas break and a June and a July for the first time in 15 years. I think it’s time to take a break and see what other opportunities are around. I’m excited, but it’s been tough to see that job posted on the (Modesto City Schools) district website.”

Reynolds’ legacy at Enochs is preserved in a championship banner. He led the Eagles to the 2014 title. Modesto Christian, a seven-time Sac-Joaquin Section champion and 2013 CIF State Division III title winner, joined the conference the following year, shifting the balance of power.

“The Coach of the Year is great. We’ve had an amazing run at the varsity level in league,” said Reynolds, who has coached 15 years in the Stanislaus District at various posts and levels.

“Obviously, if Modesto Christian wasn’t in our league, we would have had three banners with one loss to a league team. It’s great that Modesto Christian came into our league. It made us even more competitive.”

Spencer was happy to see Reynolds’ name listed next to his on the final ballot.

The two have coached together with the Modesto Magic AAU program and respect each others’ commitment to growing the game in the valley.

“He put in a lot of time and effort, like most of us do,” Spencer said. “That’s what we want . We want coaches who will put the time in and put kids first.”

Gaines was named the MMC Most Valuable Player after leading the Crusaders in four major statistical categories. She was tops in points (15.1), rebounds (6.8), steals (3.0) and blocks (1.2). She was second only to all-conference first-team selection Nicole Warwick (1.7) in assists with 1.6.

The Crusaders (21-7, 14-0) survived a scare from Reynolds’ Eagles during the first round of the conference play to complete another perfect campaign.

Modesto Christian defeated Pleasant Grove in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs, but failed to reach at least the semifinal round of the section playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

The Crusaders were eliminated in the quarterfinals by national No. 1 and eventual D-I champions St. Mary’s, 113-43.

Even in defeat, though, Gaines, with a sinewy 6-foot frame, was a difference-maker. She had 17 points, including 10 of the team’s 13 in the second quarter.

“Her frame dictates she can guard anybody from the point guard to the center spot,” Spencer said. “Offensively, she’s tough because she can shoot outside and post up in inside. It’s her versatility.”

Gaines was joined on the first team by Warwick (11.7 points and 4.4 rebounds) and senior guards Rachel Smith (8.1 points, 43 three-pointers, 40 percent from beyond the arc) and Lexia Bell-White (7.4 points and 4.5 rebounds).

“They put in a lot of time and effort and that’s why we’re successful,” Spencer said. “It’s a team effort. We know if somebody goes down, someone else will step up.”

Enochs landed two first-team selections: Katie Dillon, the program’s all-time leading scorer; and point guard Zakiya Williams.

Dillon averaged 14.8 points with a conference-high 45 three-pointers. Williams led the conference in scoring (15.2), assists (2.6) and steals (4.4).

Reynolds said the key to Enochs’ success was the on-court relationship developed by Dillon, a sniper from the outside, and Williams, a penetrating guard.

“It took us awhile to settle into everybody’s roles. If you look at our schedule, I didn’t schedule easy teams. We scheduled as hard as we could,” Reynolds said. “The first five to eight games, the girls had to figure out their roles. When you have two players that can score and control the team so much, it took awhile.

“By the end of the year — the last half of season — those two figured out how to play together. We started passing ball the so well. It was fun to watch.”

Lena Anderson of Davis and Kat Argandar of Beyer (5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds) rounded out the all-MMC first team.

The Patriots (17-10) finished third at 11-3 and lost to Sacramento in the first round of the Division II tournament.

Davis was fourth in the final standings at 5-4 and 8-16 overall.

This story was originally published March 11, 2016 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Reynolds exits Enochs as MMC co-Coach of the Year."