Todd Reed continues brother’s work

Every day after tennis practice, Todd Reed walks around the court, picking up hundreds of lime green balls he never got the chance to hit.

With each tennis ball he collects, a family tradition continues.

Reed has always had a love for tennis.

He played tennis as a child and was a four-year varsity player for North Montgomery High School in Crawfordsville, Ind. Since coming to IU, he has spent hours on the tennis court – not playing, but managing.

For the past four years, Reed’s involvement with the men’s tennis team includes filing paperwork, managing equipment and picking up tennis balls.

Reed’s older brother, Scott Reed, also spent four years toiling for tennis balls. The brothers began their IU tennis careers in former IU coach Ken Hydinger’s tennis camps. Hydinger, who coached men’s tennis for 22 seasons, said he watched the brothers’ progress during the years.

“They cared about things other than themselves,” Hydinger said. “It may not have been beneficial to have every two set of brothers work for us, but it was very beneficial having the Reed family involved in the program.”

Scott Reed graduated from IU in 1997 but still remembers the daily happenings of a manager.

“Being with the guys day in and day out, you know when their moods would change in a match,” Scott Reed said. “How pumped up they’d get before Big Ten matches was really cool because it’d turn it into more of a team aspect, instead of an individual aspect.”

Todd Reed has trained new people to work alongside him, but none have lasted as long as he has.

“More than anything, he just cares about his job,” said IU coach Randy Bloemendaal. “I don’t think he thinks he’s an outsider – I think he thinks he’s Hoosier tennis.”

IU was exempt from Tuesday’s announcement of the NCAA tournament’s 64-team field, bringing the Hoosiers’ season to a close. Todd Reed’s job as a manager is almost done, but his experiences will outlive the position.

“My favorite memory was when we beat Wisconsin this year,” Todd Reed said. “We were kind of the underdogs the entire match. Wisconsin normally comes in here and beats us. It was a big win.”

The brothers said managing helped organize their time, but also sped up their four years at IU. Although Scott Reed managed eight years before his younger brother, he said he saw many qualities Todd Reed could pick up from managing.

“It’s a great experience,” Scott Reed said. “It gives you something to do with responsibilities, and you’re involved with the athletic program.”

Despite being from Indiana where basketball is king, Todd Reed said he would never manage another varsity sport.

“I’d still stay with tennis,” he said. “It’s in my roots, and I enjoy being around it.”